The unveiling of the €260 million Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) has this been welcomed this week by local Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy, who said “it would help drive a balanced regional economy”.
The SCEP is the successor to the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP), and has a budget of €260 million over five years. It is co-funded by the EU under the CSP.
Commenting, Senator Murphy said: “The new €260 million SCEP will see farmers receive a payment of €150/cow on the first 22 cows and a payment of €120/cow on subsequent cows. This compares to €90/cow on the first 10 cows and €80/cow thereafter in the old BDGP.
“This is a clear and tangible example of how Fianna Fáil and Minister Charlie McConalogue are working to support the hardworking suckler farmers who are the bedrock of the beef industry. We will continue to support the suckler sector in the time ahead.
“We are supporting our farm families to help them make their enterprises more economically and environmentally efficient. This is a key focus for me because the output of those farms accounted for €3 billion worth of exports to more than 70 markets worldwide in 2022”.
Separately, the €5 million National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme 2023 was also announced this week and is a successor to similar schemes in 2021 and 2022.
Applications for both measures can be lodged through agfood.ie with a closing date of May 2nd for the Dairy Beef Scheme and May 22nd for the SCEP.
The SCEP targets bovine emissions through enhanced use of genetics, genomics, and performance metrics.
Membership of the Bord Bia SBLAS is a requirement for participation in this scheme and participants need to engage early with Bord Bia to ensure that they meet this requirement.
