This year’s Dairy Beef Calf Programme will be expanded upon in Ireland’s next CAP.

The proposed structure includes two measures: a young calf measure and a growing stage measure.

The first is open to breeding-only dairy herds, while the latter is open to all farmers who own and rear dairy-beef calves. Breeding dairy herds that rear calves can apply for both.

Farmers will complete two actions from a list of category A options and a list of category B options.

Payment rates are unknown as yet and will depend on the actions chosen. The proposed actions are:

  • Young calf category A: sexed semen or genotyping.
  • Young calf category B: high DBI AI or beef stock bull.
  • Growing stage category A: calf weighing of less than one-year-old cattle or weighing of dairy beef animals less than two years old.
  • Growing stage category B: parasite control or forage quality.

    • Farmers must take a two-hour training course either online or in person every year and attend a half-day livestock handling training course, as a farm safety measure.