Some 957 farmers have benefitted from the new close-out model in Bord Bia’s Sustainable Beef and Lamb Scheme. The close-out model allows farmers a period of a month to address non-compliances identified during an audit. Some 12,588 beef and sheep farmers have been audited, bringing the total number certified to 51,185, while the number of dairy farms certified stands at 15,533. The number of farmers failing to secure certification has dropped to just 39 since the close-out model was introduced. Bord Bia says the new helpdesk has also improved certification rates.