Serious sheep farmers have been given a little more time to assess the financial benefits of participating in the new Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), with the application deadline extended to January 9th.
heep Ireland has just completed a series of five regional meetings giving pedigree and commercial sheep breeders an insight into what their breeding improvement program and LambPlus have to offer.
As with the ICBF, which collects data on the national dairy and suckler herds, it has taken Sheep Ireland some time to gather vital information about the Irish sheep herd.
Reliability numbers for indexes have improved dramatically as data volumes have increased in recent years.
At the meeting I went to in Kilkenny, attendance was good. The farmers present had an excellent understanding of genetics and genomics and there was good participation in the question and answer session.
Towards the end of the meeting, a section was devoted to SIS. Most of it is similar to the previous scheme, except for the need to buy four- and five-star Aries.
As with the Beef Data and Genomics Program (BDGP), there will be some pedigree breeders whose stock would not meet the four-star threshold and who would not be pleased if commercial buyers showed an increased interest in genomic evaluations.
Hopefully the new program will be promoted positively by farming organizations and breeders as commercial sheep breeders need the €12 per ewe now available.
Unfortunately, farmers often pay too much attention to the negativity surrounding the announcement of a new program.
I met two farmers shortly after the previous Sheep Welfare Scheme was closed to applications. Together they had over 900 ewes and had decided not to join the program due to the negativity and paperwork they had heard about.
It became clear that they were already completing the tasks that would have qualified them for the program and they were lost when they realized they had each been missing out on €4,500 a year because they had listened to the wrong people. Over six years, that would have amounted to 27,000 euros.
No system will ever be perfect, and adjustments are often needed along the way, but the best time for farming organizations to voice their concerns and opinions is during the design phase.
Sitting on the fence during drafting and then demanding changes after a system is launched will not entice the maximum number of farmers to sign up.
There is always a point in negotiations where the duty shifts to recommending to farmers whether or not to register.
I am confident that this time the two farmers who missed out on the previous program will not forgo the potential of €5,400 a year each on bad advice.
It is in everyone’s interest that sheep farmers make maximum use of the subsidies to which they are entitled.
If the stock of breeding sheep is not maintained, the demand for rams will also decrease. Aries breeders will benefit in the long run if commercial farmers can improve their income.
Alongside the new SIS, a strong and effective lobby should be able to secure further funds for the sheep sector.
Angus Woods is a drywall builder in Co Wicklow
