The higher payment rates announced this week for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) positive calves under the 2025 BVD Financial Support Programme are confined to animals removed within 10 days of the first positive or inconclusive test result.
This means that animals removed between day 11 and day 21 of the first positive or inconclusive test result remain at €30 per head.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture told the Irish Farmers Journal that the “higher payment is for all animals (beef and dairy breeds) removed within the first 10 days of a positive or inclusive test result. There is no change to the existing €30 payment for positive or inconclusive animals removed between 11-21 days”.
Under the revised payment rates, financial support for a calf of a dairy or beef breed and born to a dairy dam is being increased from €160 to €200.
Beef dam
The payment rate for calves of a beef dam and beef sire is being increased from €220 to €320 per head.
The Department spokesperson also confirmed that payments for calves born in 2025 will commence in April this year.
Regarding the 2026 financial supports programme and potential rate of payment the spokesperson said: “financial supports for the calves born in 2026 will be paid in 2027 and any decision in relation to this will be made as part of the Department's budgetary allocation for 2027”.
It is likely however that there will be a much higher payment rate for calves removed from the herd within 10 days of the first positive or inconclusive test result.
Farm organisations have reacted to the announcement of increased payment rates stating that they do not go far enough to reflect the current value of calves and loss of value to the farmer.
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