Michael Gottstein, Teagasc's Head of Sheep, joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast podcast to discuss the new Sheep Improvement Scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. 

Michael starts by outlining the timeframe for the scheme and the payments available.  He discusses how to apply for the scheme and the options for new entrants. 

He explains how the reference number is calculated for each flock and discusses the tasks involved for both lowland and hill farmers, detailing the new genotyped ram task and how this will operate. 

Finally, Michael reminds producers about the application process and to apply in time before the closing date.

For further information: 

https://www.gov.ie/en/service/98a53-sheep-improvement-scheme/

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
 https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast