Ewes left out of the scheme due to underfunding, and a lack of knowledge of how sheep farms operate, are just some of the issues highlighted by one farm organisation regarding the new Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS).

The sheep chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), Kevin Comiskey has said that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has left a lot to be desired in the SIS.

Speaking to Agriland, Comiskey said: "The Minster for Agriculture has already excluded a million ewes from the scheme due to it being underfunded. As well as that, he will now exclude more due to complexities in the terms and conditions of the scheme.

"He should also familiarise himself with the value of €2 - the amount extra, farmers will gain compared to the Sheep Welfare Scheme per head - and how far it goes in the cost of feeding a ewe.

"As far as I'm concerned, its only value is for getting a trolley in the local store."

The IFA sheep chair has claimed that the scheme falls down in a number of areas, highlighting that:

"These are the things the minster and his department should familiarise themselves with, as unfortunately farmers are all too familiar with complicated schemes," Comiskey concluded.