The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has today (Monday, March 20) announced the opening of two new support schemes worth €265 million for the suckler and beef sectors.
Farmers can now apply online for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) and the National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme 2023.
The SCEP, which is the successor to the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP), has a budget of €260 million over five years.
The scheme is co-funded by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.
The SCEP will pay participating farmers €150/cow on the first 22 cows and €120/cow on subsequent cows.
The SCEP targets bovine emissions through enhanced use of genetics, genomics, and performance metrics. It will operate as a five-year contract.
The scheme, which is subject to final approval by the European Commission, is structured around four mandatory actions which must be undertaken by participants in each year of the scheme.
These actions relate to the replacement strategy for both dams and sires, genotyping, weighing of suckler cow/calf pairs and data recording.
Membership of the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) is a requirement for participation in this scheme.
Minister McConalogue said that the requirement for farmers joining SCEP to be part of the Bord Bia SBLAS was because of the need for “reliable, evidence-based data”.
“We need this data to prove reduced emissions from livestock production and meet climate targets,” he said.
Dairy Beef
Minister McConalogue has also confirmed the opening of the €5 million National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme 2023.
The measure is a successor to similar schemes in recent years and will be funded from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund.
Farmers in the scheme will be required to weigh a minimum of five eligible calves and submit details to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (IBCF).
The payment rate is up to €20 per eligible calf weighed, subject to a maximum of 50 calves.
Farmers can now apply for both schemes through the department’s online system; agfood.ie. The closing date for the Dairy Beef scheme is May 2, 2023, while SCEP applications must be made by May 22, 2023.
Commenting on the opening of the measures, Minister Charlie McConalogue said:
“I am supporting our farm families to help them make their enterprises more economically and environmentally efficient.
“This is a key focus for me because the output of those farms accounted for €3 billion worth of exports to more than 70 markets worldwide in 2022,” he said.
Schemes
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has also announced a series of public information meetings focused on the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).
The nine events are being held in conjunction with ICBF and Bord Bia.
While the public information meetings commence at 8:00p.m, department officials will be available from 6:00p.m at the venues and dates below to assist farmers with their SCEP application:
- Tuesday, March 21: Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath;
- Thursday, March 23: The Ard Ri Hotel, Tuam, Co. Galway;
- Tuesday, March 28: Treacys West County Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare;
- Wednesday, March 29: Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny;
- Thursday, March 30: Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim;
- Tuesday, April 18: Westlodge Hotel, Bantry, Co. Cork;
- Thursday, April 20: Brandon Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry;
- Tuesday, May 2: Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal;
- Wednesday, May 3: Great National Hotel, Ballina, Co. Mayo.
In addition to the meetings, the department will hold a webinar on SCEP on April 4, from 7:00-8:30p.m.