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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden said the Terms and Conditions of the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) must not be prohibitive for suckler farmers.
He said the scheme is a vital income support for suckler farmers at €150/cow for the first 10 cows and €120/cow for all remaining cows on the farm.
Mr Golden met with senior Department of Agriculture officials in advance of the Terms and Conditions for the scheme being finalised and highlighted a number of issues that must be taken into account before the scheme opens in mid-March.
“IFA has objected from the outset to the compulsory requirement for farms to be in the Bord Bia QA for the scheme. Quality Assurance is a market requirement and must be rewarded from the market place. It’s neither appropriate nor acceptable that suckler farmers will be forced to become Bord Bia Quality Assured in order to be eligible.
“SCEP is due to open in mid-March and all eligibility criteria can only apply from that date. Actions or decisions taken by suckler farmers on their farms prior to this date cannot impact on payment levels or eligibility for the scheme.”
Mr Golden was referring particularly to the star ratings requirement of calves born on farms this year.
“Farmers made these breeding decisions long before any CAP Strategic plans were finalised or accepted by the Commission and before any scheme Terms and Conditions were available. Therefore, this cannot be used as a mechanism to reduce payments or determine eligibility for farmers in the scheme,” he said.
He also identified the high level of ambition set out in the Strategic Plans and said farmers must be provided with maximum flexibility in reaching these targets for genotyping; calves born from 4 and 5 star bulls; and the numbers of 4 or 5 star rated cows on the farm.
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