Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has announced the opening of the 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (NDBWS). The scheme that aims to support farmers rearing progeny from dairy herds remains unchanged from 2025. Participants will be required to weigh eligible calves and submit data to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF). Any male calves of a dairy breed or male and female calves of a beef breed sire born to a dairy breed dam will be eligible under the scheme. To qualify for payment, liveweight data must be submitted for a minimum of five calves and a maximum of 50 in a herd and farmers will only be paid on the number of eligible calves that they have submitted liveweight data for by the closing date, the Department said. All calves must be at least 12 weeks old and registered on the farm for at least 10 days at the time of weighing. The Department stated: “Weight data should be submitted within seven days of weighing but no later than 5.30pm on 1 November ...