Beef deadlines - What do you need to know?
With the BEEP-S and BDGP deadlines fast approaching, Catherine Egan, Teagasc Beef Specialist has some final tips and advice to ensure payment in December. Deadline for BEEP-S is 1st November and BDGP is 31st October.
BEEP-S & Dairy Beef Calf Programme – 1st November 2021
There are only 5 days left to submit weights as part of the Beef- Environmental Efficiency Programme Sucklers (BEEP-S) and the dairy beef calf programme.
The compulsory action requires farmers to weigh each un-weaned calf and its dam on the same day and submit weights to ICBF within 7 days. Only scales registered with ICBF can be used and they can be rented, owned or borrowed from a third party. A scales rental service is available with locations nationwide and costs €50/day. Further information here
The number of eligible pairs weighed in this action will determine the eligible number of animals for overall payment. If you are recording weights online/electronically the weights must be recorded in the ICBF database by 5:30pm on the 1st November 2021. Electronic submission includes the ICBF website, ICBF weight recording app, farm software and any third party applications that link to the ICBF database.
If you are submitting weights by post, the forms must be received by ICBF by 5:30pm on the 1st November 2021. Completed forms should be returned to: Animal Events Agency, FREEPOST, P.O. BOX No.72, Clonakilty, Co. Cork. To request a paper form, call 023- 8832883
For further information on BEEP-S please visit mybeep.ie or if you have any queries please contact ICBF on 023-8832883 or email beep@icbf.com.
BDGP - 31st October 2021
Farmers participating in the BDGP rollover are required to have 50% of your reference number of animals as genotyped 4 or 5-stars on the Replacement Index within and/or across breed by the 31st October 2021. To be eligible, females must also be at least 16 months of age by the 31st of October 2021 i.e. born before 30th June 2020 and be born after the 1st of January 2013 if moved into the herd on/after 5th June 2015.
The penalty for not meeting this target is a 100% of your gross payment that is before the cost of genotyping. This means that if you were being paid €1,600, you will get no payment from BDGP this year and you will be deducted a further €440 from another scheme such as BPS and you will also have to pay for your genotype tags.
60% of the reference number of animals need to be genotyped in 2021. ICBF sent out tags earlier this year for genotyping. These should be returned to ICBF as soon as possible. If animals that were selected to be tagged have since been sold, replacement tags can be ordered by contacting ICBF.
All surveys should be completed on calving difficulty, calf vigour, health, weaning quality, cow milkabiliy, stock bull docility and functionality, and reasons for culling. These can be completed and posted back to ICBF or completed online.
Ensure your Carbon Navigator is completed in order to be eligible for full payments being received in December.
The Teagasc Beef Specialists issue an article on a topic of interest to suckler & cattle farmers every Wednesday here on Teagasc Daily