Sheep farmers will be able to apply for a new €10/ewe sheep scheme in 2017. The €25m scheme was launched by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed in Kenmare mart this week.

IFA sheep chair John Lynskey welcomed the scheme and said that all sheep farmers should apply. “There is adequate funding to cover every sheep farmer with a breeding flock,’’ he said.

Farmers must undertake actions which make a positive contribution to flock welfare.

These actions will be selectable from a menu from which farmers must choose two actions, based on whether the farmer has a lowland flock or hill flock. The actions must be completed over a 12-month period.

The farmer is required to maintain the reference number of ewes, which will form part of the inspection process.

There is provision for new entrants to join where they do not have 2014/2015 ewe numbers on which to base a reference number. A new entrant to this scheme is defined as an applicant who has applied for a new herd number from 1 January 2016 and before the closing date of the scheme in 2017.

Macra president Seán Finan said that all young farmers who were established and have grown flocks since 2014 and 2015 must be allowed to use current numbers as the reference for the scheme.