The latest figures from the Department of Agriculture show 8,678 applications submitted to the National Beef Welfare Scheme as of Tuesday, 27 August.

The rate by which applications are being submitted has increased in recent days and this is likely to continue ahead of the application deadline of Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

The scheme has two elements – a mandatory meal feeding action and a voluntary vaccination action.

The mandatory meal feeding action offers payment of €35 per eligible calf, up to a maximum of 40 calves (maximum payment of €1,400), while the voluntary vaccination action offers payment of €15 up to a maximum of 40 calves (maximum payment of €600 per herd).

The application process must be completed online via a farmer’s own agfood.ie account or by an approved agent acting on their behalf. Applicants must select the number of calves they wish to apply for payment on at application stage and denote if they wish to carry out the vaccination action.