€225 Suckler Cow Payment and Dairy Beef Calf Rearing Support Following Budget Announcement – IFA
IFA National Livestock Chair Declan Hanrahan said that funding for a dairy beef calf scheme has been provided in addition to an increase of €225 per cow in support for suckler farmers following the Budget 2025 announcements by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
He said the National Exchequer funding of €28 million provided for the Beef Welfare Scheme for 2025 represents an important increase of €8 million which will bring payments in this scheme to €75 per animal. This along with the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme will increase paybacks to farmers to €225 per animal next year.
Mr. Hanrahan said that the increase of €25 per cow which has been seen in the Budget 2025 announcements are a step in the right direction for the Irish Farmers’ Association who have been campaigning for payments of €300 per cow.
The National Livestock said it must be ensured that there are no leakages in this support for suckler farmers and that requirements for the scheme must be convenient, practical and easy to implement for the farmers involved. He also said that measures must be taken to stop any unnecessary costs for suckler farmers.
Declan Hanrahan said that the Beef Welfare Scheme 2024 was beneficial and practical and must be used as a template for the upcoming version of the scheme however the limit of 40 cows must be abolished to ensure that all farmers receive the same supports regardless of the number of animals they have.
Mr. Hanrahan stated that the Dairy Beef scheme must provide a scheme for farmers rearing dairy beef calves and because a scheme was not implemented for this purpose this year it must be addressed with the additional funding provided next year.
He finished by ensuring that the Irish Farmers’ Association would be working with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to achieve their objectives for both schemes next year.
