To ensure that farmers meet the requirements of the BDGP (Beef Data and Genomics Programme), Teagasc has outlined a number of requirements in order to secure payment in December 2018.

Recently, farmers should have received a letter from the ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation) – on behalf of the Department of Agriculture – on how to complete the 2017 Carbon Navigator; it can either be completed on paper or online through HerdPlus on ICBF.com.

The information required is from the 2017 calendar year and falls into three distinct sections:

  1. Length of grazing season – turnout and housing dates for suckler cows and yearlings or an indication if stock were out-wintered;
  2. Nitrogen usage – tonnes of CAN (calcium ammonium nitrate) used, total urea used and total tonnes of concentrate used;
  3. Slurry and farmyard manure (FYM) management – the percentage of slurry and farmyard manure spread in spring/summer and autumn and the method of application used.

The Carbon Navigator must be completed no later than September 30, 2018.

4-star and 5-star female requirement

As part of the BDGP, farmers are required to have 20% of their reference number genotyped as 4-star and 5-star females on the replacement index on October 30, 2018.

Teagasc outlined that the ICBF will issue the results of their latest evaluation run early this month, which should include any females genotyped up to June 30.

Individual farmer’s updated eligibility reports from the ICBF will indicate whether the herd meets the 20% requirement on that date.

However, farmers that do not have the required number of genotyped females in the herd will have no other option but to purchase females in order to meet the requirements.

Females must be at least 16 months old on October 31 and females purchased into the herd for the purposes of eligibility must be born on/after January 1, 2013.

According to Teagasc, the department estimates that several hundred herds could potentially be short on eligible females. Now that we are in September, farmers – unsure of their situation – are urged to discuss their herd with their advisors.