Rollover Of Sheep Welfare Scheme Important For New Entrants

What the Sheep Welfare Scheme is

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.

How to qualify

To qualify for the scheme you must:

• submit a Basic Payment Scheme application for each year of scheme
• submit a sheep census return for each year during the lifetime of the scheme - an exception is made for new entrants in year of entry
• have an active herd number - or be a new entrant - and keep breeding ewes
• maintain the required number of breeding ewes during the scheme

You must complete two welfare measures to qualify for payment.

The targeted welfare areas include:

• lameness control
• mineral supplementation of ewes post mating
• meal feeding lambs post weaning
• parasite control (faecal egg count)
• management of pregnant ewes (scanning)
• flystrike control
• mineral supplementation of lambs pre-weaning

You must also maintain the necessary records and comply with the Conditions for the 2020 Sheep Welfare Scheme including Cross Compliance. Those undertaking parasite control must use the approved list of laboratories for sampling.

Rates of payment

You are paid €10 per breeding ewe and the scheme year will run from 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2021. Reductions in payment will apply where not all actions are completed.

How to apply

For the 2021 scheme, existing participants in the Sheep Welfare Scheme will automatically be enrolled in the 2021 scheme.

NEW APPLICATIONS FOR THE SCHEME.

New entrants email or write into the sheep welfare section requesting to join the 2021 sheep welfare scheme. The scheme closes to new applicants on the 31^st of January 2021.