A farm organisation has called for the urgent publication of the detailed provisions of the Calf Investment Scheme, which is to open for applications from Tuesday, January 7th, as reported by us.
IFA National Dairy Committee Chairman Tom Phelan made the call, as he stated, “The scheme is an important element in supporting farmers who will need to manage increased numbers of dairy calves next spring.”
€1/calf born in dairy herd
“While the €1.5m funding is welcome, this is equivalent to only €1 per calf born within the dairy herd. “
“Should the scheme be oversubscribed, it would be vital that additional funding would be made available,” Mr Phelan said.
He said that an informative FAQ has been published, but there are no detailed specs available for the type of equipment which will be deemed eligible, nor is there any indication of how quickly farmers will know whether their application has been approved.
“Given the need for farmers to take prompt action before the impending calving period, it is crucial that the fullest details be published by the Department urgently,” Phelan concluded.
