Farmers participating in the Northern Ireland Suckler Cow Scheme need to keep a close eye on their herd’s reproductive performance to ensure that they are eligible to draw down the payment of £100 (€116) per head.

The breeding targets get more challenging over the four years of the scheme so it is important to plan decisions to keep ahead of these requirements. It is also worth noting that year two of the scheme commenced on 1 April 2026 as opposed to 1 January 2026.

Looking at first-calving heifers – for a beef-bred heifer to receive the £100 payment the heifer must calve at less than 34 months of age in the first year of the scheme, less than 32 months in year two, 30 months in year three and 29 months in year four.

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There is a minimum age of calving of 21 months of age which should not be a major issue for herds.

Getting such heifers back in calf quickly is also important to meet the subsequent target of calving within a defined calving interval.

As such the focus should be on easy-calving sires to minimise the risk of hard calvings and delayed resumption to normal breeding activity. It may also be useful to manage first calvers as a separate group where preferential treatment is warranted.

For mature cows to receive the £100 per cow payment they must satisfy a calving interval of 415 days in year one, reducing to 405 days in year two, 395 days in year three and 385 days in year four.

There is also a minimum calving interval figure of 270 days that must be satisfied. There is nothing in the scheme terms and conditions that excludes the same animal recording two eligible calving events in the one year as long as the above conditions are met.

Scheme reports

Keeping track of figures of individual animals can seem daunting but there are reports available to assist farmers. This is available on the DAERA website at daera-ni.gov.uk via clicking on the ‘Beef Sustainability Package’ on the home screen.

From here farmers can login with the same sign-in details as used to gain access to NIFAIS.

Reports can then be generated showing the date of last calving and the calving interval for each animal in the herd as well as the calving date and age at first calving for heifers.