Just over 2m breeding ewes are registered in the €25m Sheep Welfare Scheme, with the final number of applicants standing at 21,900.

Data obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal from the Department of Agriculture shows that the two most popular actions chosen by both hill and lowland farmers are mineral supplementation of ewes post-mating, and scanning.

The scheme offers funding of €10 for each eligible ewe. The number of eligible ewes for each participant is calculated as the average number of ewes in their 2014 and 2015 sheep census. New entrants were catered for in the scheme.

Farmers are required to maintain the reference number of ewes, which will form part of the inspection process.