2026 National Sheep Welfare Scheme

About this scheme

The 2026 National Sheep Welfare Scheme is a one-year scheme (1 January to 31 December 2026) designed to help farmers produce better quality animals and implement practical welfare measures, applied for separately from the Sheep Improvement Scheme. To qualify, an applicant must hold an ovine active DAFM Herd Number, have a valid 2026 BISS application, and have submitted a 2025 National Sheep Census by 15 February 2026. There are 5 actions in two categories: Category A (mandatory - Shearing, Body Condition Scoring, or Vaccination against clostridial disease/Bluetongue), of which 2 must be selected; and Category B (optional - Footbathing or Plunge Dipping), of which 1 may be selected. Payment ranges from €8 to €13 per eligible breeding ewe depending on which actions are completed. Applications run via agfood.ie between 1 April and 15 May 2026, with actions completed by 13 October 2026 (or 24 November, delaying payment to January 2027).

Who can apply

• Must have an ovine active DAFM Herd Number
• Must be farming a holding for which a valid 2026 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application is submitted within the required application period
• Must have submitted a 2025 National Sheep Census by 15 February 2026
• Must select and complete a minimum of 2 mandatory actions from Category A (Shearing; Body Condition Scoring of ewes with appropriate follow-on management; Vaccination of ewes against clostridial disease or Bluetongue) to qualify for the reduced (up to €8/ewe) payment
• May additionally select 1 optional action from Category B (Footbathing; Plunge Dipping to control external parasites) to qualify for the full (up to €13/ewe) payment
• Scheme measures are additional to, and must be applied for separately from, the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS)

How to apply

1. 1Register for the Department's online services at agfood.ie if not already registered.
2. 2Apply online via agfood.ie, either yourself or through an approved FAS advisor authorised to act on your behalf, selecting 2 mandatory Category A actions and, optionally, 1 Category B action.
3. 3At application stage, choose your actions' completion deadline: the standard date of 13 October 2026, or (if unable to meet that) the later date of 24 November 2026 — this choice cannot be changed after submission and, if the later date is chosen, applies to all selected actions; payment is then delayed to January 2027 at the earliest.
4. 4Submit the application between the opening date (1 April 2026) and closing date (15 May 2026); late applications are accepted until 9 June 2026, and you must click 'submit' to complete the process, as errors and omissions cannot be corrected afterwards.
5. 5Complete all selected actions by the chosen deadline; payment is calculated per compliance, with reductions applied where not all chosen actions are completed.