The closing date for applying to the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) is fast approaching, with application figures closing in on 14,000.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirmed to Agriland that some 13,800 applications have now been received.
The closing date for the scheme is next Monday (May 22).
The SCEP is the successor to the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and has a budget of €260 million over five years.
The scheme is co-funded by the EU under Pillar II of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
It will pay participating farmers €150/cow on the first 22 cows and €120/cow on subsequent cows. A 20-cow suckler herd will be eligible for a payment of €3,000 under the scheme.
SCEP targets bovine emissions through the use of genetics, genomics, and performance metrics. It will operate as a five-year contract.
Applications for SCEP can only be submitted using the department’s online AgFood facility either by the applicant themselves or by an approved Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisor authorised to act on their behalf.
Prospective applicants not already registered for the department’s online services will need to register first.
Suckler farmers applying for to the scheme are required to become Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) members before October 16, 2023, and must remain SBLAS members for the duration of the scheme.
Members of the new suckler scheme must also have attended a SCEP training course and an animal handling course before November 15, 2024.
Genomic samples for the scheme will not be accepted after November 30, of each scheme year.
Calf weights must be submitted within seven days of weighing and no later than November 1, annually.
Calves must be a minimum of 50 days old before weighing and if a calf or its dam dies before the calf is five-months-old, the pair does not count towards the 80% of the eligible number of animals on the holding that must be weighed.