With the Suckler Cow Scheme Regulations (NI) 2025 now made and coming into operation from 1 April 2025, it brings to an end a five-year saga which started when former Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said he wanted some funding to be redirected to the sector.

What we have ended up with is a relatively straightforward scheme, which focuses mainly on calving events of beef heifers and suckler cows.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the £100 payment, in the first year these heifers must calve within a maximum of 34 months, while cows must have a calving interval (CI) of a maximum of 415 days. These targets drop to 32 months and 405 days in year two.

Ideally, the scheme would have kicked off from 1 January 2025, however, it was delayed due to uncertainty around funding coming from the UK Treasury.

That delay does not mean farmers who calve most of their cows from January to March 2025 are going to miss out in the first year.

Remember, the first money paid out won’t be until the summer of 2026 – in fact, it could be argued that these farmers have more time to plan and ensure their animals meet scheme requirements.

Layer of complexity

The real issue with the 1 April start date is that it adds a layer of complexity during busy spring months. For example, a cow calving on 31 March 2026 will need to meet a 415-day CI target. The next day, this target is 405 days.

There is also an annual maximum of 222,000 calving events in the new scheme – if this NI total is breached, all payments will be reduced.

With DAERA analysis suggesting around 73% of suckler cows and just 62% of beef heifers will actually meet scheme requirements in the first year, the Department has actually budgeted for 180,000 eligible calving events, not 222,000.

Its estimate may well prove correct, but there is another factor linked to the 1 April start date.

First-year figures

There will be a lot of cows and heifers calving in early April, which will be able to receive a second £100 payment by calving again before the end of March 2026. It may inflate the figures, although only in the first year.

It also won’t mean that NI has turned an abrupt corner and is on the path to rapid suckler expansion. For anyone who has exited the industry in the last 10 years, they will only need to calve a few flighty beef heifers in April to remind them why they got out in the first place.