Ewe Payment of €25 in 2025 Announced Following Budget – IFA
IFA National Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said total support payments for ewes have been increased to €25/ewe following the provision of €22m in exchequer funding by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue for next year when combined with the SIS €12/ewe scheme.
Adrian Gallagher said the increase of €7m in funding provides for the scheme to increase the rate of payment by €5/ewe, from €8 to €13 ewe next year.
The IFA National Sheep Chair said over the past two years IFA’s campaign to support the sheep sector has delivered €13/ewe on top of the €12/ewe CAP Sheep Improvement Scheme bringing total supports to €25/ewe for next year.
He said this level of support is vital for the sector and will need to be built on to bring direct support levels to a minimum of €30/ewe.
Adrian Gallagher said the National Sheep Welfare Scheme this year was a well-designed and practical scheme for farmers, the scheme for 2025 must follow a similar pattern and avoid any leakages from this important additional funding for sheep farmers.
He said IFA will be engaging with the Department of Agriculture to ensure the scheme for 2025 is practical to implement, reflects the numbers of ewes on the farm and avoids unnecessary leakages of monies or administrative bureaucracy for farmers.
