Thousands still to join new suckler scheme

Over 3,000 eligible farmers in NI have not yet signed up for the first year of the new Suckler Cow Scheme.

DAERA projections indicate that 12,150 farm businesses should be eligible to claim the new headage payment.

However, to receive payment under the scheme, farmers first need to complete a short online form to officially “opt in”.

Registered

On Wednesday, DAERA confirmed that only 9,077 of the projected eligible farms have registered so far, which means 3,073 farms are still to join up.

Suckler farmers have until the end of the first year of the scheme to opt in, which is 31 March 2026.

A payment of £100 per eligible calving is available under the Suckler Cow Scheme.

In the first year, the maximum age of first calving for heifers is 34 months and the maximum calving interval for cows is 415 days.

However, the latest DAERA figures also suggest thousands of farmers who are not expected to be eligible for the Suckler Cow Scheme have opted in anyway.

In total, 16,164 farm businesses have registered for the scheme so far, but the DAERA figures indicate that over 7,000 of these farms are not expected to be eligible for any payment in the first year.