The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) recently launched Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Sucklers (BEEP S) for 2022. This scheme once again sees €5m going to the dairy beef calf programme, with a further funding provision of €40 million going to BEEP S. Farmers must not assume that they are signed from last year, they must reapply. The fast-approaching deadline of Monday 25th April, means farmers interested in joining the scheme should put applying on their priority list.
What you need to know
Farmers can only apply if they are the owner of an active herd number with Herd Owner status and submit a Basic Payment Scheme application in 2022. They must also have had suckler calves born in the herd between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, and lastly, agree to complete the mandatory action of weighing the suckler cow and her calf.
Mandatory Action
The farmer must weigh each unweaned calf and its dam on the same day. Cow and calf weights must be recorded on the ICBF database to be eligible for payment. For the first 10 eligible cow and calf units farmers can receive €90, with €80 per pair after (max 100 units).
Only scales registered in accordance with the scheme terms and conditions may be used. Farm Relief Services provide registered scales.
Optional Actions
Similar to last year, BEEP S 2022 also has optional actions. For the first option farmers have a choice of meal feeding or vaccinations. For meal feeding the farmer should start 4 weeks pre-weaning and 2 weeks post weaning. The aim is to reduce the stress on calves at weaning time. Or for vaccinating the farmer should implement a vaccination programme for respiratory diseases, in particular, for pneumonia. Regardless of which of the above the farmer chooses, the rate of pay is €30.
Farmers also have the option to take part in faecal egg testing of weighed cows. This is done to target the control of Liver and Rumen Fluke in adult suckler cows. At least 10 samples must be taken from a clean pen and stored separately. Samples should be submitted to approved laboratories before 3rd October 2022. A list of approved laboratories can be found on the Teagasc website. With a maximum of 100 cows, farmers will receive €10 per cow for faecal egg testing.
Dairy Beef Calf Scheme
For the dairy beef calf scheme, the main task is the weighing of calves. For eligible calves, the payment is €20 per animal. Farmers can submit a maximum of 40 calf weights to the ICBF, this is an increase on last year.
Full information about the BEEP S scheme can be found on gov.ie or tesgasc.ie, with application forms found agfood.ie.
Book your weighing scales
For those accepted to the scheme, Farm Relief Services provide a Weighing Technician Service for the BEEP-S scheme. Contact your local FRS office to book your weighing in. Call 1890 790 890 or visit frsfarmreliefservices.ie/weighing for more information.
When it comes to recording weights, farmers can easily report to ICBF by using Herdwatch. The farming app automatically sends weight records to ICBF which means farmers will get the benefit of better reporting from ICBF. Herdwatch is fully approved by ICBF to provide this integration free of charge to members. For more information visit herdwatch.ie.