New €13/Ewe Sheep Scheme Practical Enhancement of 2024 Scheme – IFA

IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said the €13/ewe scheme announced by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon is an enhancement of the 2024 scheme, providing sheep farmers with the opportunity to claim €13/ewe for carrying out practical measures on our farms.

He said the scheme retains the measures from last year’s scheme, shearing, body condition scoring, vaccination and plunge dipping and includes an extra option, foot bathing.

The measures are broken into two categories.  In category one, the measures are shearing, body condition scoring and vaccination which are all costed at €4 each. Applicants are required to select two. In category two, the measures are plunge dipping and foot bathing.  These measures are costed at €5 each and applicants can select one of these measures which will bring the total payment to €13/ewe.

Adrian Gallagher said this is a separate scheme to the SIS and farmers must apply online to participate.

“Combined with the SIS, it brings targeted payments for ewes to €25/ewe, which is critical for the longer-term viability and sustainability of the sheep sector.”

“IFA has secured these payments for sheep farmers following years of campaigning for supports for the sector. It’s important all sheep farmers apply to this scheme this year to ensure the full allocation is drawn down by the sheep sector as we seek to build on these supports in coming years,” he concluded.