Penalties in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme? (SCEP) will be calculated based on the level of non-compliance. There are two main areas where penalties will be imposed, the first being non-adherence to scheme eligibility criteria and the second being non-compliance with scheme actions.

Adherence to the four scheme eligibility criteria is critical, as non-compliance with the criteria outlined in Table 1 will lead to an applicant being removed from SCEP and a full clawback of any monies received from previous years, where applicable. There has been much discussion at SCEP information meetings/farm walks hosted by the Department of Agriculture, ICBF, Bord Bia and Teagasc regar?ding participation in the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS).

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SBLAS membership

Bord Bia and Department of Agriculture speakers at these events have moved to allay farmers?’ fears regarding SBLAS participation and the potential of farmers being removed from the scheme due to SBLAS membership lapsing. Bord Bia says that the close-out period should provide farmers with ample opportunities to resolve any issues, pointing out there is a very low risk of any farmer not being certified once they engage constructively.

The Department and Bord Bia are advising farmers who are not quality assured at present to apply for certification at least three months before the 16 October deadline to ensure there is plenty of time to address any issues identified during the audit process.

Penalty schedule

The payment under SCEP is apportioned across the five main actions. The terms and conditions state that “penalties associated with breaches of individual requirements will be based on the proportion that requirement comprises of the total payment”, as detailed in Table 2.

As can be seen in Table 3, the extent of the penalty increases as you progress through the five years of the programme for the first three actions. It is also important to note that “if a farmer fails three or more of the actions 1, 2, 3 or 4 in any one scheme year, they will be removed from the programme and any payments already made will be recouped”.

It should also be highlighted that penalties in one scheme can inflict penalties in other areas. The terms and conditions state that “any breach of conditionality noted during an on-farm inspection will be cross-reported to the SCEP unit of the Department and will apply to the programme”.

The programme also operates as per European Commission guidelines with regard to recoupment of monies and any outstanding debts will be subject to interest being charged. As is normal under such programmes, an applicant who cannot continue to comply with the requirements of SCEP for reasons beyond their control may avail of a case being made under force majeure to terminate their participation without any penalties or recoupment of monies being imposed.