A short window of opportunity has been provided for dairy farmers who wish to change their nominated band for dairy cows on their farms, the Department of Agriculture has announced.

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) portal has been opened until 31 December 2023 to allow a farmer to select a different option if they wish to reconfirm their 2023 band.

Earlier this year, dairy farmers engaged with the ICBF portal and confirmed their dairy band for 2023. However, reduced volumes of milk in 2023 have resulted in some farmers seeking to amend their nominated options for banding.

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These farmers have sought flexibility to change their band or nominate option three, using this year’s average milk yield.

Nomination

However, the Department noted that for the vast majority of dairy farmers, they are not required to do anything and the initial nomination earlier this year will remain.

Farmers who did not nominate an option have been categorised as at the highest output band. This facility to change option is an added flexibility for those who wish to change as a result of reduced volumes of production in 2023.

Questions and answers on additional flexibility

Q: I submitted my dairy band already this year. Do I need to do anything now?

A: No. The new flexibility is only for farmers who want to amend the option they selected. In cases, this may reduce their herd’s 2023 nutrient excretion rate band. Farmers should only select to use current year data to determine their band if they know their nutrient excretion rate band for 2023 will not increase as a result.

Q: Will many farmers choose to amend their nominated option to select how their band is determined for 2023?

A: Only a small number of farmers are expected to avail of this flexibility. The objective is to provide flexibility for those farmers that can and wish to change their dairy cow’s nutrient excretion rate band for 2023.

Q: If I select to base my band on 2023 data (option three), when will my band be updated?

A: If a farmer wishes to select option three, they will be defaulted to 106kg N/cow/year, until both milk and animal data is available for the full calendar year. When this data is available in early 2024, their 2023 band will be confirmed. The correct nutrient excretion rate will then be applied for the full year 2023 to determine compliance with applicable limits.