economy
Agriculture & Farming
Teagasc issues meal feeding guide for beef scheme
Suckler farmers participating in the national welfare initiative must align their meal schedules properly. A new Teagasc factsheet outlines critical timelines, feeding rates, and documentation requirements to ensure full compliance ahead of the looming deadline.
Source:
Teagasc Agricultural News
•
⏱️ 2 min read
Suckler farmers participating in the National Beef Welfare Scheme have been provided with a practical new advisory guide by Teagasc to help navigate mandatory meal feeding requirements. Martina Harrington, Teagasc Beef Specialist and Manager of the Future Beef Programme, emphasised that farmers must carefully calculate their timelines by working back from their planned sale dates to meet the €35 per calf payment criteria.
According to the newly published factsheet, producers selling weanlings need to work back at least 43 days from their sale date, factoring in that the earliest permitted sale date is 15 days post-weaning. The guidance recommends feeding 1kg of meal daily for four weeks prior to weaning, which then increases to 2kg per calf daily for two weeks after weaning, amounting to roughly 56kg of feed per animal over the six-week period. Furthermore, participants are reminded to diligently retain all receipts, feed labels, delivery dockets, and action records to satisfy potential administrative checks by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Additional guidance details required ration specifications, home-mixing advice, and optional actions covering vaccinations and testing. Farmers intending to participate must submit their applications before the fast-approaching deadline at 5pm on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Comprehensive resources and further details will remain accessible on the official Teagasc website.
According to the newly published factsheet, producers selling weanlings need to work back at least 43 days from their sale date, factoring in that the earliest permitted sale date is 15 days post-weaning. The guidance recommends feeding 1kg of meal daily for four weeks prior to weaning, which then increases to 2kg per calf daily for two weeks after weaning, amounting to roughly 56kg of feed per animal over the six-week period. Furthermore, participants are reminded to diligently retain all receipts, feed labels, delivery dockets, and action records to satisfy potential administrative checks by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Additional guidance details required ration specifications, home-mixing advice, and optional actions covering vaccinations and testing. Farmers intending to participate must submit their applications before the fast-approaching deadline at 5pm on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Comprehensive resources and further details will remain accessible on the official Teagasc website.