Payments for scheme year-two of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) have commenced today Thursday, December 5.
In total, over €47.8 million will be rolled out to the 14,943 suckler farmers participating in the SCEP.
Announcing the payments, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said: “SCEP provides support to beef farmers to improve the environmental sustainability of the national beef herd.
“This is the second year of SCEP as part of the CAP and builds on the gains delivered in recent years through the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme (BEEP) by improving the genetic merit of the Irish Suckler herd.”
Minister McConalogue said: “I recognise the importance of SCEP payments to the beef sector and farming families and issuing these payments at the earliest opportunity remains a key priority.”
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) highlighted that it may take up to five days for SCEP payments to to reach participating farmers’ accounts and reminded SCEP participants that still have to submit any outstanding documentation to DAFM or the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) to do so “as soon as possible so that any outstanding payments can be processed”.
The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme is co-funded by the EU and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
ANC payments issued
On Wednesday, December 4, Agriland reported that the balancing payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme had commenced.
Minister McConalogue announced that payments totalling €241 million have issued to 96,731 farmers under the ANC scheme. This represents an increase on previous years, with €238 million paid to 95,000 farmers at the balancing stage of 2023.
In September, ANC advance payments worth over €184 million issued to 87,149 farmers. Advance payments account for 85%, and the balancing payments for 15%.
To date, 99% of eligible applicants have received their payment under the scheme, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days. The DAFM will continue to process, “as a matter of urgency”, all remaining cases for payment as any outstanding queries are addressed, the minister said.