A €28m scheme for suckler farmers is expected to be announced by Government within days.

The Irish farmers Journal understands that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) has approved €28m in funding for the new BEEP-S scheme on Monday.

This now paves the way for the minister to announce the details of the scheme including the measures involved, the application process, and the timeline for payments later in 2023.

A payment rate of around €60/cow is expected to be the mainstay of the new scheme.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the Department of Agriculture is keen to keep the new scheme as simple as possible, with no changes expected for the 2023 programme.

Weanling vaccination, meal feeding around weaning time, and dung sampling are all thought to be included as measures in the scheme.

The Irish Farmers Association has been calling for a €90/cow fund to run alongside the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency programme (SCEP), however it remains unclear as to whether this will be achieved. If the same number of farmers apply with a similar number of cows, the €28m fund would pay out closer to €60/cow for the 2023 scheme year.

National Farm Survey figures released by Teagasc this week show that the average suckler farm returned an income of €9,408 in 2022. Direct payments to suckler farms saw a 5% reduction in 2022.

For more details on the new BEEP-S scheme, pick up a copy of this week’s Irish Farmers Journal in shops on Thursday.