Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) aims to support farmers in improving the environmental sustainability of the national beef herd by incentivising participants to undertake five mandatory actions. It consolidates and builds on the improvements in the genetic merit of the suckler herd achieved in recent years through actions implemented in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme.

The SCEP, which runs from 2023 to 2027, has an EU co-funded budget of €256 million over its duration which equates to €51.2 million allocation for each year of the programme. The latest data published my department indicates that total payments amounting to €51.54 million have issued to date to over 16,800 eligible participants for year one of the programme.

Updated summary payment data in respect of all DAFM schemes is available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/ceea9-scheme-payments-update/

My Department is currently working on the design of measures for a new exchequer-funded beef welfare scheme which will operate in 2024 and will be worth €20m to eligible beef farmers. Once the terms and conditions are finalised having regard to EU state aid rules for such supports, I will be able to announce further scheme details when it opens later this year. The national scheme will complement the SCEP and there will be no impediment to farmers participating in both schemes.

The drawdown of the budget allocations for the SCEP and the new national scheme will depend on the number of participants in both schemes who correctly complete the required actions in accordance with the terms and conditions governing payments for these schemes.

However, the funding I secured in Budget 2024 will allow me to continue the €200 per cow delivered for suckler farmers last year. These dedicated supports for the beef sector demonstrate the importance I attach to the viability and sustainability of our beef production systems.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 962 and 963 together.

The Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) is a multi-annual, EU co-funded intervention with an overall budget allocation of €100m over the course of the current CSP programming period running from 2023 to 2027. The scheme, now in its second year of operation, is designed to incentivise farmers with both hill and lowland flocks to undertake additional actions that improve animal health and welfare as appropriate to their sheep enterprises.

The targeted measures include:

• lameness control;

• mineral supplementation of ewes post mating;

• meal feeding lambs post weaning;

• parasite control (faecal egg count);

• management of pregnant ewes (scanning);

• flystrike control;

• mineral supplementation of lambs pre-weaning; and

• genotyped ram action.

My Department's latest payment data shows that over 16,900 farmers received approximately €19m in respect of 85% advance payments for the first year of the scheme. The 15% balancing payments for year one of the SIS are scheduled to commence in May 2024.

Updated cumulative payment data in respect of DAFM schemes and supports is published at the following link.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/ceea9-scheme-payments-update/

Projected scheme expenditure for the 2024 scheme year is expected to be roughly similar to 2023 but the actual expenditure level in any year will be determined by the number of participants who make themselves eligible for payment by following the correct procedure.

The current SIS payment is €12 per eligible breeding ewe for full scheme compliance. Given that participants were paid in respect of 1.86m head for scheme year one and assuming that at least the same number are again eligible this year, the estimated full-year cost of increasing the payment rate by €1 per ewe would be €1.86m. However, this calculation excludes flocks associated with some 200 new entrants who have applied for admittance to the scheme in 2024 and does not take into account that a larger number of existing participants may become eligible for scheme payments in 2024 than in 2023.

In recognition of the significant role of sheep production in the rural economy, I secured an extra €15m in support for the sector in Budget 2024. As recently announced, I have allocated this funding to implement a new national sheep welfare scheme which, together with SIS payments, will result in a payment equivalent to €20 per ewe to participating sheep farmers in 2024. These dedicated supports will be the highest payment level ever provided to our vitally important sheep sector.