The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) closed for applications on 22 May, with a total of 20,524 farmers applying for the scheme.

SCEP applications were high in Connacht counties, where they totaled 7,090 applications.

Co Galway has the overall highest SCEP applications in the country, with some 2,428 farmers applying. It was followed by 1,886 in Co Mayo applying to the five-year scheme.

The counties with the lowest number of applications are based in the eastern half of the country, with Co Louth only having 163 applications and Co Dublin having 54 farmers applying to the scheme.

The Leinster region - with 12 counties - had a sum of 4,553 applications in total.

Counties Carlow and Kildare both have just above 200 applications, which is approximately 1,000 fewer than were submitted for Co Roscommon.

Munster

In the Munster region, Co Clare tops the other counties applications, with a total of 1,791 farmers putting in an application.

The lowest number of applications in Munster was from farmers in Co Waterford, where only 243 SCEP applications were submitted.

Counties Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan had a total of 2,831 applications submitted, where Donegal only had 68 more submitted applications than Co Cavan.