The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that “final validation checks” are currently being carried out on around 200 farmers participating in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).
The scheme aims to provide support to beef farmers to improve the environmental sustainability of the national beef herd.
The department said that SCEP will build on the gains delivered in recent years through the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme (BEEP) by improving the genetic merit of the Irish suckler herd.
SCEP
As of today (Friday, December 20), DAFM said that there are 16,610 farmers participating in SCEP.
Officials are currently carrying out final validation checks on around 200 participants for potential non-compliance with the eligibility requirement to complete the mandatory SCEP training.
“If on completion of these checks they are found to be non-compliant with the completion of the training by November 15, 2024 or by the extended date of December 19, 2024, they will be removed from the programme,” a DAFM spokesperson told Agriland.
Farmers who fall into this category will receive written confirmation in January 2025 confirming that they have been removed from SCEP and that any monies received to date will be recouped.
“The calculation of recoupments will form part of the removal process once the validation process is completed,” the spokesperson said.
Of the 16,400 participants who have fully completed the training and have been validated, some 15,370 (94%) did the training online, while 1,030 (6%) attended one of the SCEP in-person training events.
Earlier this month, the department announced that payments for scheme year-two of the SCEP had commenced.
In total, over €47.8 million was to be rolled out to the 14,943 suckler farmers participating in the the scheme.
“The average SCEP payment is around €3,300 but within all averages there will be a considerable range,” the spokesperson said.