May 27, 2021 10:35 am
The 15% balancing payments to all eligible farmers under year four of the Sheep Welfare Scheme are to commence issuing this week.
The scheme is co-funded by the European Union as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020.
The rollout of the balancing payments brings the total paid under year four of the Sheep Welfare Scheme to €16.6 million to some 18,300 farmers.
This, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provides a “significant financial boost to the individual farmers, the sheep sector in general and the wider rural economy”.
According to the department, the Sheep Welfare Scheme provides financial support to farmers for taking extra steps to improve the welfare of their flock. Farmers get €10 per breeding ewe for completing flock welfare measures.
May 6, 2021, 7:00 am
Methinks that all the planets have now aligned to deliver an ‘abundance of opportunities’ for Ireland’s animal feed-milling businesses. Let’s consider the facts.
The recent rollover of the BEEP- S (Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot – Sucklers) programme will encourage suckler herdowners to feed more meal to calves over the coming months, while the Sheep Welfare Scheme contains similar provisions where the feeding of ewes is concerned.
Meanwhile, the focus now being placed on 24-month calf-to-beef systems will encourage more intense feeding of meal to dairy-bred calves, particularly in the months post-weaning.
Teagasc research has identified the absolute necessity of ensuring that concentrates are made available to weanlings during their first season at grass.
Canvassing for election while running a dairy and beef farm is multi-tasking at its hardest. But unlike previous IFA elections, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed Kenny Jones to canvas from the comfort of his home while running his farm at the same time. It was a new experience.It was all on the phone. I am a great guy for chatting to people, so I missed going around and visiting yards, but it worked out fine, says the newly elected Kerry IFA chairman.
However, now that the Kielduff farmer has settled down after the election, his focus is now on fighting for the future of farming in Kerry. Leading that agenda are two big issues: CAP reform and climate change.