The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) is to push for the Department of Agriculture to pay farmers the new €13/ewe payment rate in the National Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS) without having to carry out an additional action.

The association maintains that increases in sheep farming costs in recent years justify this increase in payment rates without the need for farmers to complete new measures.

Budget 2025 provided an additional €8m for the scheme next year, bringing its funding to €22m and this will see payment rates increase from €8/ewe to €13/ewe.

“This is on top of the €12/ewe paid under the CAP’s Sheep Improvement Scheme.

“The measures need to stay practical and two measures should be enough.

“There is no need to add an extra measure with the payment rate increase given the significant rise in cost of farming, particularly in hill flocks,” INHFA president Vincent Roddy told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Achievable

The INHFA insists that its key sheep sector ask in Budget 2025 – total SIS and SWS payments of €30/ewe – should be achievable by 2026.

“It is something we will be pushing for in the next budget and, again, it is entirely justified with increases in costs.

“Even just the cost of labour alone has jumped significantly for sheep farmers,” Roddy added.

IFA sheep chair Adrian Gallagher has said that the consensus among farmers is that the extra €5/ewe was both “welcomed and needed” to save farmer margins.

Gallagher insists that to avail of the funding increase, measures must be proposed which are workable for farmers and which can be carried out for a financial gain on farms.

“People were generally happy with the scheme last year and found that the tasks required could be carried out without leaving the farmer out-of-pocket,” he commented.

“Dipping in particular was a welcome return.

“It worked for welfare and worked for farmers, it got dipping back into flock health plans after it had dropped off in recent years.”