The ICBF is reporting the largest ever number of beef cattle weighings on-farm in Ireland so far this year.

This is as a result of the €40m Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme - Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme.

To date this year, over 213,000 weights have been recorded and submitted to the ICBF from herds participating in the scheme.

Eligible

Of these, 72,500 weights relate to eligible cow/calf pairings (145,000 animal weights).

The remainder of weighings are either from eligible calves with no cow weight recorded, ineligible animal weights (such as calves born outside the scheme parameter dates) or are birth weights which cannot be used for the scheme.

A small number of weights have been recorded on holdings where there is no scales registered.

In order for payment to be made, farmers must register scales again this year, even where the same scales was used for last year’s scheme.

Scales can be owned, hired from co-ops or borrowed from a friend or neighbour, but must be registered in order to be eligible for payment.

The scheme

The BEEP-S scheme offers a payment of €50 per cow and calf pair weighed for the first 10 pairs and €40 per pair thereafter, up to a maximum of 100 pairs.

There are also additional measures that offer a payment of €30 per calf for meal feeding pre- and post-weaning or for vaccinating weanlings.

A further €10 per cow is available for faecal egg testing cows for liver and rumen fluke.