Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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869. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for reducing the payment rate under the national sheep welfare scheme to €11.50 per ewe, despite the prior indication to farmers of a higher expected level of support; and the way in which his Department plans to address the financial shortfall now faced by sheep farmers as a result of this change. [63486/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme was to further enhance animal health and welfare on sheep farms. It follows on from the 2024 National Sheep Welfare Scheme which had a budget of €15 million and which to date has paid out €15.84 million to 17,225 participants.

In budget 2025, €22 million was allocated for the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme, an increase of €7 million or 47% relative to the 2024 scheme. Due to over-subscription of the scheme in 2025 with over 1.91 million ewes applied for, a rate adjustment had to be imposed as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme. This means the Category B voluntary action is being paid at €3.50 per ewe and the overall payment level is €11.50 per ewe, 44% higher than the €8 per ewe paid under the 2024 Scheme

There are 5 actions in the Scheme and applicants are required to complete 2 actions from Category A which are mandatory actions and worth €8 per ewe (€4 per actions completed) and 1 action from Category B which are optional or voluntary actions worth €3.50 per ewe, therefore three (3) actions overall, if they wish to receive the full €11.50 payment. This is an increase of 44% on the amount that the applicant would have received under 2024 NSWS.

Payments under the scheme have already commenced with €16.44 million paid to 13,175 participants on 10 November 2025. A further payment run will take place in early December for those who selected the later completion date for actions under the scheme of 28 November 2025.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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870. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an assessment was carried out on the impact of the reduced per-ewe payment on the viability of sheep farms, particularly hill and low-income farms, before the decision was taken to adjust the rate downward. [63487/25]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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872. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being considered to rebuild trust with farmers following the reduction in scheme payments, given the ongoing pressures of poor market returns, high input costs, and tight margins in the sheep sector. [63489/25]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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873. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department will reopen discussions with stakeholders regarding future scheme design to ensure payment stability, transparency, and fairness for sheep farmers who relied on the original scheme commitments when planning their farm income. [63490/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 870, 872 and 873 together.

I am always mindful of the need for targeted supports to maintain confidence among primary producers in the viability of the sector.

For that reason, I secured a Budget 2026 allocation of €131 million for the livestock sector, which will ensure the continuation of existing dedicated supports, including those worth €42m to the sheep sector in 2026. Those supports consist of €20m for the multi-annual CSP Sheep Improvement Scheme and €22m for the annual National Sheep Welfare Scheme (NSWS). The budget for the current NSWS (2025) was an increase of €7m, or 47%, on the preceding year (2024). Payments amounting to €16.44m have already issued to more than 13,000 farmers in respect of their participation in the 2025 scheme.

Prior to the Budget I had extensive engagements with all the farm organisations on matters of concern to them, including on the 2026 scheme funding allocations. It is standard practice for my officials to consult the farm organisations on the design and implementation of various schemes that affect their members. It is also a normal feature of scheme rules that they contain provisions for adjustments in the event of oversubscription. The consultation for 2026 scheme has taken place and farm organisations have provided their input.

In relation to the 2025 NSWS, this scheme proved popular beyond projections. Due to the significant demand for the scheme, it was oversubscribed. In order to see the budget fully utilised and support paid on every eligible ewe, the payment rate for additional optional actions was adjusted in line with the scheme terms and conditions. To deal with the oversubscription, it was necessary to pay an adjusted rate of €11.50 per breeding ewe, to participants who carried out all three scheme actions. There was no change to the payment rate for mandatory scheme actions and the total amount payable to participants completing both mandatory and voluntary actions was €11.50 per ewe which was €3.50 per ewe, or 44%, higher than the 2024 rate.

I am determined to continue providing sheep farmers with meaningful supports which consist of straightforward actions that encourage the widest possible uptake of measures within the available budget.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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871. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm whether there will be a review of the 2025 and 2026 scheme allocations to restore the payment level originally understood by farmers; and to ensure that farmers are not penalised for participating in good faith in a scheme whose terms were subsequently diminished. [63488/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme was to further enhance animal health and welfare on sheep farms. It follows on from the 2024 National Sheep Welfare Scheme which had a budget of €15 million and which to date has paid out €15.84 million to 17,225 participants.

In budget 2025, €22 million was allocated for the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme. The increased funding of €7 million or 47% relative to the 2024 scheme provided for up to an additional €5 per breeding ewe bringing the potential scheme payment rate for participants to €13 per ewe. However, due to over-subscription of the scheme in 2025 with over 1.91 million ewes applied for, a rate reduction had to be imposed as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme. This means the Category B voluntary action is being paid at €3.50 per ewe rather than €5 per ewe. The overall payment level of €11.50 per ewe is still 44% higher than the €8 per ewe paid under the 2024 Scheme

In budget 2026, I secured an allocation of €22 million for a National Sheep Welfare Scheme and my Department met with the farming organisations on 30 October 2025 regarding the 2026 National Sheep Welfare Scheme.