Farmers are being reminded that there is less than one week remaining to record weights for two key beef-related schemes.

Farmers entered in the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme and/or the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) must have their weights submitted no later than November 1.

These weights must be submitted to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) within seven days of weighing also.

Under the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme, applicants can receive a payment of €20/eligible calf.

Scheme participants must weigh a minimum of five eligible calves, up to a maximum of 50 calves.

It is important to remember that for both schemes, the weighing scales being used must be pre-registered before the weight recording event.

Scales can be hired from a range approved of agri-stores nationally. Where these are being used, it is important to check with the provider that the scales are approved and are eligible for the scheme.

Where a farmer wishes to use their own weighing scales to record weights, these can be registered on the ICBF website under the “registration of scales” option or by contacting ICBF to register the scales.

For the purpose of registration of scales, the following information will be requested:

Name and address of owner of scales;
Scales manufacturer;
Indicator model;
Indicator serial number;
Year of purchase;
Acknowledgement that the scales are in good working order.

Calves must be at least 12 weeks-of-age at the time of weighing and be registered in applicant’s herd for at least 10 days before weighing.

All weights should be submitted to ICBF within seven days of weighing but must be no later than 5:30pm on November 1, 2026.

SCEP weights

Under action four of the SCEP, participants must weigh, using a registered weighing scales, at least 80% of eligible animals born on the holding of the yearly reference number in each scheme year and their dams and submit weights to ICBF.

Each live calf must be unweaned and weighed with its dam on the applicant's holding on the same day.

All calves being submitted for weighing must have been born in the herd within each scheme year, meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria, and must be in the ownership and possession of the applicant since birth and maintained on the holding.

The calf must be a minimum of 50 days-of-age before it is eligible to be weighed and weights should be submitted within seven days of weighing and no later than November 1 annually here also.