Sheep farmers will receive less than the €13/ewe they had been expecting under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon confirmed.
The Minister confirmed a reduction in the scheme’s payment rates to €11.50/ewe as he announced that €16.44m in scheme payments are now on their way to 13,175 farmers’ accounts.
This figure represents 90% of the farmers who had indicated that they would complete the required actions by 17 October.
A second payment run will commence in mid-December for those who opted for the later completion date of 28 November for completing actions, Minister Heydon said.
The 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme had been pitched with a payment rate of €13/ewe when announced by then-Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConlaogue in Budget 2025.
However, the Irish Farmers Journal revealed that a higher-than-anticipated demand saw the Department of Agriculture cutting payment rates as the funds secured were unable to cover all ewes applied for at €13/ewe.
It is understood that a payment rate decrease for the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme is also on the cards, which would reduce the rate farmers receive from the €75/cow-calf pair that had been expected to just €67/pair.
€16m on the way
“The issuing of €16.44m of payments under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme is crucial to the sheep sector and farm families up and down this country,” Minister Heydon stated.
“It is for this reason I fought for and secured a further €22m for a similar scheme in 2026.
“As a result of the oversubscription in the scheme with 17,278 applications covering just over 1.91m ewes, it was necessary to adjust the payment rate to €11.50 per ewe, which is still a 44% increase from the €8 per ewe paid under the scheme in 2024.”
Minister Heydon said that the reduced payment rate still represents an increase on the levels paid out in 2024.
“When combined with the €12 per ewe available under the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) Sheep Improvement Scheme, this means sheep farmers in both schemes will receive up to €23.50 per ewe, an increase of 17.5% per ewe on last year’s combined payment.
“My Department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria, but I would urge applicants in the scheme who have received correspondence from my Department to respond as quickly as possible to ensure their payment can be processed.”
The Minister also reminded farmers to ensure their 2025 sheep censuses are returned before 14 February 2026, as it is a key eligibility requirement for payments under both the Sheep Improvement Scheme and the National Sheep Welfare Scheme.
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Sheep farmers will receive less than the €13/ewe they had been expecting under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon confirmed.
The Minister confirmed a reduction in the scheme’s payment rates to €11.50/ewe as he announced that €16.44m in scheme payments are now on their way to 13,175 farmers’ accounts.
This figure represents 90% of the farmers who had indicated that they would complete the required actions by 17 October.
A second payment run will commence in mid-December for those who opted for the later completion date of 28 November for completing actions, Minister Heydon said.
The 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme had been pitched with a payment rate of €13/ewe when announced by then-Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConlaogue in Budget 2025.
However, the Irish Farmers Journal revealed that a higher-than-anticipated demand saw the Department of Agriculture cutting payment rates as the funds secured were unable to cover all ewes applied for at €13/ewe.
It is understood that a payment rate decrease for the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme is also on the cards, which would reduce the rate farmers receive from the €75/cow-calf pair that had been expected to just €67/pair.
€16m on the way
“The issuing of €16.44m of payments under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme is crucial to the sheep sector and farm families up and down this country,” Minister Heydon stated.
“It is for this reason I fought for and secured a further €22m for a similar scheme in 2026.
“As a result of the oversubscription in the scheme with 17,278 applications covering just over 1.91m ewes, it was necessary to adjust the payment rate to €11.50 per ewe, which is still a 44% increase from the €8 per ewe paid under the scheme in 2024.”
Minister Heydon said that the reduced payment rate still represents an increase on the levels paid out in 2024.
“When combined with the €12 per ewe available under the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) Sheep Improvement Scheme, this means sheep farmers in both schemes will receive up to €23.50 per ewe, an increase of 17.5% per ewe on last year’s combined payment.
“My Department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria, but I would urge applicants in the scheme who have received correspondence from my Department to respond as quickly as possible to ensure their payment can be processed.”
The Minister also reminded farmers to ensure their 2025 sheep censuses are returned before 14 February 2026, as it is a key eligibility requirement for payments under both the Sheep Improvement Scheme and the National Sheep Welfare Scheme.
Read more
Payment cuts to beef and sheep schemes
Over €146m in advance ACRES funds begin issuing to farmers
SF calls on Minister to reverse beef and sheep scheme cuts
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