Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1281. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applicants who have left or been excluded from the sheep improvement scheme since its commencement on 1 February 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11945/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Sheep Improvement Scheme is funded under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. It provides support to sheep farmers for carrying out targeted welfare actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector. It builds on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS), which had operated in the previous CAP.

The Sheep Improvement Scheme provides financial support to farmers for taking extra steps to improve the welfare of their flock. Farmers get €12 per breeding ewe for completing flock welfare measures.

The scheme will run for 5 year scheme with an annual roll over for participants (2023 – 2027). The scheme opens for "new entrants to sheep farming" annually.

In 2023, 739 applicants withdrew from the scheme of their own accord. In 2024, a further 1,171 applicants withdrew from the scheme of their own accord. No applicants in 2023 or 2024 have been excluded from the Sheep Improvement Scheme for failing eligibility or compliance elements of the scheme.

From 2025 on, in line with the Terms and Conditions of the Sheep Improvement Scheme and now that the first two years of the scheme are complete for those that commenced in 2023, my Department will be commencing additional checks on the genotyped ram action which could result in an applicant being removed from the Sheep Improvement Scheme if not carried out.