agriculture.gov.ie Sheep Welfare Scheme : Ireland

Organization : Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine
Scheme Name : Sheep Welfare Scheme
Country : Ireland
Website : https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/basicpaymentschemegreeningareasofnaturalconstraint/sheepwelfarescheme2017/
Terms & Conditions : https://www.statusin.org/uploads/28493-SheepScheme.pdf

Sheep Welfare Scheme :

1. Introduction :
The Sheep Welfare Scheme 2017 is being introduced to contribute to the continued development in animal and health welfare in the sheep sector and will require farmers to go beyond the relevant mandatory standards to enhance the standards of animal welfare in the Irish Sheep flock.

Related : Basic Payment Scheme Ireland Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine : www.statusin.org/28487.html

This new scheme is designed in keeping with Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1305/2013 in particular and with the range of European Regulations underpinning the provision of support for Rural Development.

This scheme will provide targeted support to those areas of animal welfare identified as making a meaningful positive contribution to sheep welfare, having regard to the systems of production in Ireland and the environment in which Irish sheep production is carried out.

2. Implementation of the Scheme :
The Sheep Welfare Scheme 2017 is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The Department will ensure compliance on the part of applicants by way of compliance inspections and administrative Control checks.

3. Obligations of Scheme Applicants / Participants :
It will be the responsibility of the applicants / participants to familiarise themselves fully with the Scheme Terms and Conditions, their obligations under same and the consequences for any compliance failures or breaches of the Scheme.

Each scheme participant is obliged to
** Comply with the Terms and Conditions of the scheme and fully complete their two chosen actions.

** Submit an accurately completed annual Sheep Census return to the Department for 2016 and for each year of the Scheme, within the set deadlines.

** Maintain the requisite number of breeding ewes in line with most recent census return – in particular, where an applicant is approved into the scheme on the basis of a particular reference number of breeding ewes, this number of ewes must be retained and made available for inspection where required.

** Maintain a Scheme Action Record Book, which will be provided to all applicants by the Department, to record and demonstrate the completion of the two actions chosen for the scheme.

** Retain all receipts, documentation and other evidence to prove compliance with scheme actions for the duration of participation in the scheme plus one year.

** The Scheme Action Record Book must be made available on request for inspection and /or administrative checks by the Department.
** All applicants must co-operate fully with Department staff, or its Agents, in relation to any inspection or any request for documentation.

** All applicants must comply with Cross Compliance requirements, as set down in relevant EU legislation (Directives and Regulations), and the standards for Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC), in the areas of environment, climate change and good agricultural condition of land; public, animal and plant health and animal welfare. Articles 91 – 94 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 refer.

** All applicants accept that all the information supplied on the application form and any supporting documentation may be used by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or made available to any other Department or body or Local Authority for the purpose of audits, evaluation purposes, Cross Compliance controls, controls relating to the legislation underpinning Cross Compliance and all Rural Development measures, and, as appropriate, in accordance with the requirements under the Freedom of Information Act.

** It must be noted that an application will not be accepted or approval may be withdrawn if, in the opinion of the Minister or his officials, it is established that an applicant artificially created the conditions required to obtain aid with a view to obtaining an advantage contrary to the objectives of the Scheme.

** The obtaining of aid or the attempt to obtain aid under the Scheme by fraudulent means by the applicant or others acting alone or together may, in addition to any scheme penalty, render such persons liable to prosecution.