Payments under the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme are expected to issue to 7,700 farmers by the end of the month, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said.

Speaking following a meeting of the Farmers' Charter on Friday evening, ICMSA livestock chair Michael O'Connell said that there had been some disquiet and concern following delays and issues with the payments due last autumn and into this year.

He confirmed that the annual budget of €6.25m over four years had, disappointingly, not been utilised, with payments due to 7,700 farmers for approximately 234,000 calves.

“This equates to €4.68m out of that allocated €6.25m and that means that roughly €1.5m is going unused. That’s very much to be regretted and we’d urge farmers who applied for the scheme in 2024 but didn’t meet the eligibility criteria to remain part of the scheme because the eligibility criteria might suit their 2025 calves better.

“There might also be farmers who didn’t apply at all in 2024, but who could meet the eligibility conditions for the three remaining years, and we’d urge them to consider it. We do think it’s important that all the budget for this potentially very significant scheme is taken up,” O’Connell said.

Payment run

Noting that the general run of farm payments was made between October and December on an annual basis, O’Connell said that the payment run for the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme is to be made in March annually so that all calves born to a dairy dam - except for calves bred from a dairy sire - between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024 to have the opportunity of being eligible for the €20/head payment due this month.

Last year was the first year of the newly designed dairy beef scheme, which runs for four years from 2024 through to 2027 with a combined budget of €6.25m per annum.

“As a scheme designed to reward farmers for use of better genetics, farmers who did not apply in 2024 have the opportunity of joining the scheme in 2025.

"The ‘hoops’ participating farmers have to jump through for such a nominal payment were, and are, frankly over the top and both the Department and European Commission need to look at it in the context of their much-trumpeted efforts at simplification,” he said.

The ICMSA welcomed the provision of an extra €20/head for calves under the scheme for 2025.