NI farmers urged to 'opt into' Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme
Farmers in Northern Ireland have been urged to opt into the latest phase of the Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme.
The BCR Scheme is a key part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme and it encourages farm businesses to reduce the age at slaughter of clean beef animals to improve efficiency and reduce livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
During 2024, over 8,000 farm businesses across Northern Ireland received approximately £19.8 million funding, to boost environmental sustainability and enhance productivity, according to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “I encourage all farm businesses who have yet to opt in to the scheme to do so by 31 December, to secure payment for animals eligible in 2025.
"My department, stands ready to provide information and support about the scheme or the opt in process.
“The Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme is a vital part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme supporting farm businesses to lower the carbon footprint of their herds and achieve improved productivity,” he added.
Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme
The maximum target age at slaughter for clean beef cattle for 2025 is 28 months; this will reduce to 27 months for 2026. The scheme will provide the farmer with funding of £75 for each eligible animal slaughtered.
Payments are capped at a maximum of 352,000 animals in NI per scheme year.
Farm businesses, or their 'Authorised Persons', can opt into the scheme online via the DAERA website.
The opt-in process just requires ticking a box once the applicant has logged in. Once opted in, businesses will receive a BCR payment each year thereafter, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Businesses only need to opt in once for BCR; those businesses already opted into the scheme during 2024 do not have to opt in again.
Once opted in, farm businesses (and their Authorised Persons) can check the Beef Sustainability portal to view the status of their cattle to confirm if a slaughtered animal will be eligible for payment.
They can also check if live cattle are approaching the maximum age of slaughter in that scheme year.
DAERA has stressed that farmers should be reassured that opting in does not incur penalties if eligibility conditions are not met or if there are no eligible animals in a given year.
Those who sold eligible cattle through a livestock market but kept the cattle for 60 days during the 100 days prior to slaughter may also be eligible for payment and are advised to opt in.
