The €40/calf payment announced in last week’s budget under the Dairy Beef Scheme should go solely to the calf rearer, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said that he has yet to decide which sector will get the payment, while Fine Gael said last week that €20 would be going to the calf breeder and €20 to the rearer.

ICMSA president Denis Drennan said the payment should go in full to the rearer, whether that be the dairy farmer whose herd the calf was born to or a beef farmer.

“That’s the person that’s putting the work in. We need to encourage people to start rearing calves.

“There’s more money [in it] than there is in sucklers.

“There’s a lot of positives to it from a climate change point of view. You have early finishing Hereford and Angus coming from the dairy herd, they’re slaughtered earlier, that’s a huge advantage.

“From a safety point of view, bucket-reared calves would be a lot safer for a lot of the older generation of farmers,” Drennan added.