Some 17,500 sheep farmers will receive advance Sheep Welfare Scheme payments, commencing on Tuesday 15 November.

A total of €15.5m will be paid out under the scheme this year, the sixth year of its existence.

These advance payments will be at a rate of 85% of the full annual payment under the scheme, with the balancing payments to be issued in the second quarter of 2023.

Making the announcement, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: "These payments reflect the change to the reference year I introduced last year to ensure that the reference year better reflects the level of activity on participants' farms, given the passage of time since the introduction of the scheme in 2016."

Extension

The extension of the scheme over the previous two years, Minister McConalogue said, reflects the commitment of the Government to the sheep sector in Ireland.

The Minister further noted: “This is the final year of the Sheep Welfare Scheme, which was introduced in December 2016.

“Later this year, I will be launching the successor to this scheme, the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), which will also be aimed at sheep farmers with breeding ewes.

"The SIS will build on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme by providing support for actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector."

The introduction of the new scheme will further demonstrate the continuing commitment of this Government to the sheep sector for the coming years, the Minister said.

The Minister urged any farmers with outstanding queries to respond to the Department immediately in order to facilitate payment.