NBWS Applications Ongoing
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that applications for the National Beef Welfare Scheme will close on the 12th of September. As of the 5th of September, DAFM had received almost 7,400 applications from farmers across the country. In addition, the Department confirmed that there were approximately 2,300 applications at the draft stage on the agfood.ie portal.
Applying for NBWS
Eligible farmers who have not yet applied for the National Beef Welfare Scheme are urged to do so immediately. It is important to remember that there is no facility for late applications for this scheme. Actions taken under the scheme must be completed by the 1st of November, so no application will be accepted after the deadline.
In order to be deemed eligible, you must:
- Have an active herd number (with herd owner status attached)
- Have submitted an application for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability scheme in 2023
- Be a suckler farmer (i.e. have eligible calves born to eligible cows between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023)
Actions and Payments
In order to qualify for payments, you must complete the following two actions:
- Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) sampling
- Meal feeding calves pre and post weaning
Payment for IBR sampling will range from €120 to €300 depending on the number of animals tested. In order to receive this payment, you will have to engage a veterinarian to select, blood sample and test up to 20 animals for Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis antibodies. Where the herd has more than 20 animals, 20 of these must be tested. If your herd has fewer than 20 animals, then all must be tested. The inclusion of IBR testing as a requirement for this scheme has been the subject of significant criticism from farming organisations, with some representative bodies regarding it as evidence of the Government's unwillingness to consult with farmers on issues of animal health.
The meal feeding of calves action will be payable to the sum of €35 per calf up to a maximum of 40 calves. For a herd of 40 calves, that would mean a payment of €1400. While this may not be an enormous payment, it is surely worth availing of given the current economic outlook for many farmers.
Calves must be meal-fed for 4 weeks pre-weaning and 2 weeks post-weaning.
How to apply
Applications should be made online via agfood.ie before the 12th of September, 2023. For more information, including Terms and Conditions for the scheme, you should visit the relevant page on the DAFM website.
