Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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758. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his Department’s work to support beef farmers who rear calves; schemes that will support these farmers, such as the €20 per calf payment that was available in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16701/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I recently launched the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme which will support farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd. The scheme to be implemented in 2025 has a budget of € 4 million and will provide farmers with a €20 payment per eligible calf subject to certain conditions.

The scheme is currently open for applications and I would encourage all farmers to consider whether this scheme is suitable for their holdings and to submit an online application before the closing date of 15 May 2025. Full details are available on the Department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/service/0af08-2025-national-dairy-beef-weighing-scheme/.

Both the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme and the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme are aligned with the 10-point plan to develop our growing dairy-beef sector, which was published by My Department in 2024. The CSP scheme is a breeding measure which runs from 2024 to 2027, which supports dairy farmers using genotyped and genetically superior beef sires for breeding dairy beef calves. Participants receive a payment of €20 per eligible calf, up to a maximum of 50 calves for each scheme year.

The primary objective of both schemes is to increase the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd. While beef from the dairy herd contributes a growing proportion of national production, I will also continue to support suckler farming as a key source of Irish beef.

In addition to the above schemes, Budget 2025 allocated a sum of €28 million for the implementation this year of an exchequer-funded scheme for suckler beef farmers. Further information on this scheme will be made available once the ongoing approval process has been finalised.