Approximately 2,000 suckler farmers have yet to receive a Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) payment for year one of the scheme.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has told Agriland that “participants who have become eligible for the [SCEP] payment since December 2023, will receive payment in early March, 2024”.
According to DAFM, the 2,000 participants that have yet to receive payment in respect of scheme year one “were participants who were not eligible for payment in December 2023”.
A total of 15,364 suckler farmers who are SCEP participants received payment in December 2023, in respect of scheme year one.
These farmers were paid the full amount due to them based on their actions compliance at that point, and the average SCEP payment made to participants in December 2023 was €3,032, according to DAFM.
The DAFM statement said: “There are currently 17,397 active participants in SCEP who became Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS)-approved on or by the deadline of January 22, 2024.
“Of the balance of applicants, some 1,000 chose to withdraw from the programme and an additional circa 2,450 [SCEP applicants] were removed for not meeting some or all of the eligibility criteria.”
In May of last year, Agriland reported that a total of 20,524 SCEP applications were made across the Republic of Ireland.
ACRES interim payment rates
In other news on agri-schemes, on Wednesday, February 14, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced further detail on the interim payment to participants in tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
It relates to those who have not yet received their advance payments for participation in the scheme.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister McConalogue said: “Further to my announcement of Friday, February 9, of an interim payment for ACRES participants, I can confirm that the rate of this interim payment will be €4,000 for those in General and €5,000 for those in the Co-operation Project.”