If you're taking part in SCEP in 2026, there's one date worth putting in the calendar now.

All required cow and calf weights must be recorded with ICBF by 5:30p.m on November 1, 2026.

Weighing accounts for 20% of your SCEP payment, so getting the right animals weighed - and making sure those weights are submitted correctly and on time - is important.

The weighing itself is only part of the job. You also need to identify the right animals, record each weight accurately and make sure that information gets to ICBF.

That's where Herdwatch can make things much simpler.

First, what do you need to do for SCEP?

For the SCEP weighing requirement, there are a few important points to remember:

Meet the 80% requirement: At least 80% of eligible calves, based on your annual reference number, must be weighed along with their dams;
Weigh cow and calf together: The calf must still be unweaned, and its dam must be weighed on the same day;
Check the calf's age: Calves must be at least 50 days-of-age when weighed, with weighing ideally taking place between five and eight months-of-age and before weaning;
Check eligibility: The calf must be from a suckler dam, sired by a beef breed sire, and have remained in your ownership and on your holding since birth;
Record deaths correctly: If an eligible calf or its dam dies before the calf reaches five months-of-age, the death should be recorded on AIM and the pair will not count against the 80% requirement;
Submit weights promptly: Weights should be submitted to ICBF within seven days of weighing and no later than the November 1 deadline;
Use registered scales: The scales used must be registered and linked to your herd on the day of weighing.

It can sound like a lot to keep track of. But you do not necessarily need separate notebooks, spreadsheets, ICBF logins and equipment records to get it done.

Making weighing simpler with Herdwatch

For farmers who have not used it before, Herdwatch is a livestock management app that brings your herd records and farm technology together in one place.

It can be used for everyday jobs including calf registrations, medicine records, breeding, weights, animal movements and compliance records.

For weighing, that means having your animals, weights and performance history available from your phone while you are actually at the crush.

Herdwatch connects with AIM/the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM), allowing your herd information to be brought into the app without having to manually create every animal record.

Once your herd is set up, recording a weight can be as simple as opening the 'Weight Recording' feature, entering the weight and saving it against the animal in seconds.

Herdwatch then stores that weight against the animal and automatically calculates average daily gain (ADG), giving you useful performance information beyond simply meeting the SCEP requirement.

Already using a weigh head? Connect it

For farmers weighing larger numbers, Herdwatch can also connect directly with compatible Tru-Test and Gallagher weigh heads.

Instead of reading a weight from the indicator, writing it down and entering it again later, the weight can move directly from the weigh head into the animal's Herdwatch record.

Add a compatible EID reader and the process becomes even quicker.

The animal can be identified from its electronic tag, matched to its Herdwatch record and its weight captured - reducing the amount of manual entry needed at the crush.

In practice, that can turn:

Identify → Weigh → Write it down → Enter it again

into:

Scan → Weigh → Record

For a full batch of cows and calves, those saved steps quickly add up.

Weights sent directly to ICBF

Recording the weight is only useful for SCEP if it gets where it needs to go.

Herdwatch's integration with ICBF connects your Herdwatch records with ICBF herd information, including weights, pedigree, breeding information, serves and scans.

For SCEP weighing, this means your weight records can be sent through the connected system without having to record the same information separately across different platforms.

So rather than weighing animals and then sitting down later to deal with another round of data entry, the aim is simple:

Record the job once, where you're actually doing it.

What does a fully connected weighing setup look like?

You do not need to buy a completely new weighing system to use Herdwatch.

You can start simply and add integrations depending on the equipment you already have.

Basic setup

Scales → Read weight → Enter into Herdwatch → ICBF

Connected weigh head

Scales → Weigh head → Herdwatch → ICBF

Weigh head + EID reader

EID scan → Animal identified → Weight captured → Herdwatch → ICBF

The more of your existing equipment you connect, the less information you need to enter manually.

It's not just about SCEP

This type of weighing setup is one example of a bigger benefit - getting the different technology on your farm working together.

Herdwatch integrates with a range of farm systems and equipment, including AIM/DAFM, ICBF, EID readers, weigh heads, mart and factory data, parlour systems and heat and health monitoring technology.

Rather than having information spread across different systems, Herdwatch brings that data together in one place.

The goal is simple: record information once and make it useful everywhere you need it.

For weighing, that means less paperwork and fewer opportunities for errors. But it also means the information remains useful long after the SCEP deadline has passed.

Historical weights and ADG can help identify your best and poorest-performing animals and support future feeding, breeding, selling and culling decisions.

The November 1 SCEP deadline might still seem a while away, but getting organised before cattle are in the crush can save a lot of hassle later.

Make sure your scales are registered, get your herd information up to date and, if you are already using a compatible weigh head or EID reader, connect it to Herdwatch before weighing day.

Whether you are manually recording weights from the scales or using a fully connected setup, the principle is the same:Less time recording. Less double entry. More useful herd information.

Speak to the Herdwatch team about getting set up by calling 0505 34400.

Used by over 20,000 farmers across Ireland and the UK. Available on iPhone, Android, and desktop.