€25m Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme

The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (DBWS) is a breeding measure that supports farmers using genotyped and genetically superior beef sires for breeding dairy beef calves. The DBWS has a budget of €25m over four years and is co-funded by the European Union (EU) as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.

It comes as part of the implementation of the recently published ten-point action plan to support the development of a dairy-beef sector in Ireland. Applications for the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme can be lodged through agfood.ie until the closing date of May 15^th.

Participants will be required to use AI straws or stock bulls with a minimum rating of 3 stars on the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and the beef sub-index of the DBI.

Payment Information

Farmers who meet the scheme requirements will receive a payment of €20 per eligible calf, for a maximum of 50 calves per holding. The objective of the DBWS is to incentivise the use of genetic tools to improve the beef merit of progeny from dairy herds. Breeding with high DBI index sires has established progeny performance benefits as measured by their Commercial Beef Value (CBV). The scheme supports the use of the DBI to produce calves with higher CBVs. High genetic merit sires will produce calves with high CBVs which reflect the potential profit of dairy beef animals in terms of enhanced carcass value and earlier slaughter age. For more information, click HERE.

Ten-Point Action Plan

In March 2024 The Department of Agriculture (DAFM) announced a 10-point action plan for dairy calf-to-beef production– details can be found HERE.

It promotes greater integration of the dairy and beef sectors about the production of beef coming from the dairy sector and is very much aligned with the Twenty20 Beef Club production blueprint, now in its 5th year. The Twenty20 Calf to Beef Club is built on genetics, animal welfare, and husbandry practices, technical support and a guaranteed pricing structure along with a market outlet.

The action plan that DAFM is leading in collaboration with Teagasc, ICBF, and Bord Bia highlights the importance of the National Genotyping Programme (NGP) and the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) tools that will help dairy farmers sell their calves and provide beef finishers with greater predictability when seeking animals to finish. The quality of the calf leaving the dairy farm remains the key factor in developing a sustainable dairy beef system and must be a key priority for all industry stakeholders. 

Due to greater usage of sexed semen on dairy farms, last year ICBF reported a 17% decline in dairy-sired male calves and a 4% increase in beef-sired calves. As the industry seeks sustainable production pathways for every calf born in the national herd, our well-established Club provides the ideal solution.

For further information, please contact a member of our Twenty20 Beef Club Team today.

Ross Brady: 086 7834252               

Michelle Ward: 086 0271942           

Kieran Bowe: 086 0788258

First Published 8 May 2024