Press release
Minister Calleary announces that payments have commenced under the Calf Investment Scheme
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Dara Calleary TD, has announced that payments have now commenced under the Calf Investment Scheme.
Commenting on the payments the Minister said:
"I am pleased to announce that the payments under the Calf Investment Scheme have commenced. This initiative was put in place in advance of the Spring calving season with a view to ensuring the highest possible calf welfare outcomes and to provide targeted support to the rearing of beef calves from the dairy herd as well as replacement heifer calves born on Irish dairy farms."
The Calf Investment Scheme was launched last December and opened for applications on 7 January 2020. Over 2,300 applications were received and approved to proceed under the scheme.
The primary policy objective of the scheme is to support farmers in ensuring the welfare of calves born on Irish dairy farms, recognising the operational challenges associated with feeding in the early weeks of their lives. The investment focus is on supporting calf feeding systems such as computerised calf feeders, milk carts with mixer included and calf teat feeders. When a farmer purchased one of these items, they were also eligible to receive support for the purchase of other items, such as calf milk heaters, calf forage/hay racks, calf meal troughs, calf feed barriers and calf pen dividers.
The Minister added:
"I am delighted with the level of interest in this scheme and I encourage anyone that received approval to purchase their equipment and submit their payment claim as soon as possible. I would remind all approved applicants that their application for payment must be submitted by the extended deadline of 30 September 2020, at the latest."
Potential applicants are also reminded that the closing date for Tranche 18 of TAMS II has been extended to 21 August 2020.
ENDS
Further details on the Calf Investment Scheme are available on the department's website at: www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/calfinvestmentscheme.
Further details on the TAMS II schemes are available here.