The suckler scheme under the new CAP, the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), permits participant farmers to expand their suckler herds and maintain their payment.
Department of Agriculture inspector David Buckley confirmed to farmers at a Kilkenny meeting on the scheme last week that there will be no penalty for having more cows.
Officials explained that if a farmer enters into the scheme with a reference number of 10 cows, but in year two of the scheme doubles their herd to 20 cows, they will still be entitled to claim payment for the original 10 cows.
Even if in years three, four and five of the scheme, the farmer expands their herd to 50 cows, they can still claim the per-hectare SCEP payment for the original 10 cows, based on their eligible forage area.
No restrictions
The move comes just months after Minister Charlie McConalogue proposed a suckler cow reduction scheme, which was rejected by farm organisations.
“You can have as many animals on the holding as you want, [but] you’ll only get paid on your [cow] reference number and max payable area; there is no penalty for having extra animals,” Department official Sharon O’Connor said.
“There’s no issue with a farmer wanting to go up. They can do that but they won’t be paid for them in the scheme,” added Buckley.
The Kilkenny SCEP meeting, held in the Newpark Hotel on Wednesday night, was attended by over 200 farmers from across the southeast.
Farm organisations want support for sucklers, not an exit scheme