Staying SCEP compliant to maximise your payments
As the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) progresses, Manager of the Future Beef Programme at Teagasc, Martina Harrington reminds participating farmers on the key obligations for 2024 and 2025.
SCEP is designed to promote sustainable and efficient farming practices for beef farmers in Ireland. As the scheme progresses, it’s crucial to stay on top of the various requirements to ensure compliance and receive full payments. Here’s a reminder of the key obligations for 2024 and 2025.
The penalties are two tier:
- Removal from the programme and a clawback of SCEP monies, if you do not meet the requirements
- Continued Bord Bia Quality Assurance participation
- Submitting a Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application every year
- Calving at least 50% of the yearly reference number of cows/heifers
- Attendance at the SCEP training course
- No payment for action plus an additional penalty in the year of offence
- 4 or 5 star sires
- Female replacement strategy
- Genotyping
- Weight recording
It’s important to note that if a farmer fails three or more of the actions outlined in point two in any one scheme year, they will be removed from the programme and payments already made will be recouped.
Key requirements for 2024
1). Bord Bia Quality Assurance
- You must remain Bord Bia Quality Assured throughout the 5-year duration of SCEP.
2). BISS Application
Ensure that you submit a Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application for the year.
3). Training course
- You must complete an online training course by 15th November 2024.
- Log on to www.sceptraining.ie using your herd number and PIN (which is available in your SCEP correspondence on Agfood).
- A small number of in-person training courses are also available to those who cannot complete the training online. Details of these in-person training courses are available here.
4). Calving
- At least 50% of your reference number of cows must calve each year.
5). Area-Based Scheme – Maintain your Maximum Payable Area (MPA)
- SCEP is an area-based scheme, meaning your reference number is based on the average number of cows calved from 2016 to 2021. This number is divided by 1.5 to give your Maximum Payable Area (MPA). For example, if you had 20 cows calved, your MPA would be 13 hectares of grassland (20 cows ÷ 1.5 = 13 ha). Your payment is based on the 13ha.
- You must maintain at least 80% of your MPA grassland. For example, if your MPA is 13ha, you need to keep 10.4ha in forage area on your BISS application to receive payments for that year, or else you will not get paid for that year.
- If you reduce the area to 11ha, you will be paid for 11ha, not the number of cows calved.
6). Genotyping
- 70% of your reference number of cows must be genotyped by 30th November 2024.
7). Weighing
- You must weigh at least 80% of eligible animals born on your holding by 1st November 2024. These animals must be unweaned calves.
- Remember, If you are enrolled in both the SCEP and National Beef Welfare Scheme, you must feed meal to calves for 4 weeks pre-weaning and 2 weeks post-weaning
Also read: Beef Welfare Scheme 2024: Key details and how to apply
8). 4 and 5 Star Sires
- 80% of eligible animals born on your holding must be sired by a genotyped 4 or 5 star bull/AI (either replacement or terminal index). The stars can be within or across breeds.
9). Surveys
You must keep calves for at least 5 months and complete the required survey on ICBF before 30th November 2024 to receive full payment in December. If the survey is submitted late, top-up payments will be issued in 2025.
Requirements for 2025
1). Female Replacement Strategy
- By 31st October 2025, 65% of your reference number of cows or heifers must be genotyped 4 or 5 stars on the replacement index. They must be at least 16 months old, meaning they must have been born before the end of June 2024.
2). 4 and 5 Star Sires
By 2025, 85% of your calves must be sired by a genotyped 4 or 5 star bull/AI on either replacement or terminal index.
Maximising the benefits of SCEP
To maximise your benefits under the SCEP, it’s essential to follow the outlined requirements closely. Failure to comply with any of the steps - whether it's maintaining the required forage area, calving rates, or completing surveys - can result in reduced payments or no payment. Make sure to mark these dates and guidelines to ensure smooth participation in the programme for 2024 and beyond.
The ICBF website is excellent. Login into your ICBF home page and SCEP Eligibility page to see what you have done and what you still have to do! Examples of the guides available are showing in figures 1 and 2 below.
Figure 1: A screenshot from the ICBF website detailing 'SCEP herd progress'
Figure 2: A screenshot from the ICBF website showing the progress a SCEP participant has made in terms of the Female Replacement Strategy and Sire Requirements
Related content
Beef Welfare Scheme 2024: Key details and how to apply