Latest figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) shows that as of Thursday, October 24, just over 3,000 suckler herds participating in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) have yet to record eligible cow and calf weights as part of the scheme.
The ICBF has encouraged scheme participants to do so “as soon as possible” and reminded farmers that weights must be submitted to the ICBF by November 1, 2024.
Weighing is a core action under the SCEP and accounts for up to 20% of the yearly payment. The scheme requires farmer participants to weigh eligible cows and calves on the same day.
The calf must be over 50 days of age and not yet weaned from its dam. According to the ICBF, the ideal time to weigh is when the majority of calves are in the 5 to 8-month-age profile.
Close to 17,000 farmers are participating in SCEP and have to weigh animals.
Latest ICBF data indicated that 81% of SCEP participants have animals weighed and there were 275,192 eligible pairs weighed across 13,500 herds as of Thursday, October 24.
Scheme participants are reminded to ensure that they have a valid scales, registered or linked to their herd for their date of weighing and the ICBF has emphasised that weights will not be accepted unless they can be linked to a scheme-registered scales.
When weighting the cows and calves for SCEP, herd owners should ensure the cow and her calf are weighed on the same day and before the calf is weaned.
To record the animal’s weights, farmers can use the ICBF weight recording mobile app, use a farm software package or record the weights on an animal events notebook and transfer online afterwards.
SCEP participants are also required to complete SCEP training. This action can be completed by attending the in-person training events which are now complete or by completing the training online.
The courses can be completed in one day or over different days but must be fully completed by November 15, 2024.