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Catherina Cunnane
Catherina Cunnanehttps://www.thatsfarming.com/
Catherina Cunnane hails from a sixth-generation drystock and specialised pedigree suckler enterprise in Co. Mayo. She currently holds the positions of editor and general manager at That's Farming, having joined the firm during its start-up phase in 2015.
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Suckler scheme: Farmers must not assume that they are signed up from last year

In this article, FRS informs farmers ahead of the forthcoming BEEP-S and Dairy Beef Calf Programme deadlines.

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 up from last year; they must reapply.

The fast-approaching deadline of Monday, April 25th, 2022, means farmers interested in joining the scheme should put applying on their priority list.

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 July 1st, 2021, and June 30th, 2022.

Lastly, they must agree to complete the mandatory action of weighing the suckler cow and her calf.

The farmer must weigh each unweaned calf and its dam on the same day.

They must record cow and calf weights on the ICBF database to be eligible for payment.

For the first ten eligible cow and calf units, farmers can receive €90, with €80 per pair after (max 100 units).

You may only use scales registered under the scheme terms and conditions. Farm Relief Services provide registered scales.

Meal feeding and vaccinating

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 four weeks pre-weaning and two 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, pneumonia.

Regardless of which of the above the farmer chooses, the pay rate is €30.

Faecal egg testing

Farmers also can take part in faecal egg testing of weighed cows to target the control of liver and rumen fluke in adult suckler cows.

Take at least ten samples from a clean pen, store them separately, and submit samples to approved laboratories before October 3rd, 2022.

You can find a list of laboratories 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 weighing 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 from last year.

Weighing technician service  

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 this link for more information.

Herdwatch

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.

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