From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today announced further flexibility for participants in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) who may be impacted by the ICBF evaluation changes which came into effect on 28 November 2023.
Participants have already been advised that animals in SCEP herds whose index falls maintains their original index and are not impacted unless the SCEP participant sells that animal to a non-SCEP herd. The Minister has now moved to apply further flexibility for farmers in the scheme to ensure that they are not disadvantaged.
This additional flexibility means that female offspring of genotyped females in SCEP herds that do not become eligible for SCEP on their own genomic evaluation, may become eligible if their sire and dam meet a minimum requirement on the September 2023 ICBF evaluation. That is where the dam was 3, 4 or 5-star and the sire 4 or 5-star on the Replacement Index, this female offspring will be considered “SCEP eligible” even if, when they are genotyped, they are not evaluated as 4 or 5-star in their own right.
Importantly, this flexibility would exist for all years of the SCEP programme. Such females will retain this “SCEP eligible” status where they are traded to another SCEP herd. If, however they are traded to a non SCEP herd, they will lose this “SCEP eligible” status.
The Minister commented:
“I have listened to feedback from stakeholders in recent months and I believe the flexibility I am announcing today provides assurance to SCEP participants that they will not be negatively impacted by the evaluation index changes which were implemented in November 2023."
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine also advises that SCEP participants can now amend their 2024 yearly reference number through their Agfood account. This facilitates famers who wish to alter their commitments under the programme requirements to meet their individual needs or changing circumstances. The window to amend 2024 yearly reference numbers is open until 11.59pm on 19 February 2024.
Any changes made to the 2024 reference number (either increases or decreases) will have an associated impact on the requirements/actions to be carried out by the participants and on the maximum payment that the participant will be eligible to draw down later in 2024. Once an application to amend the 2024 yearly reference number is submitted online, no amendments can be made.
For queries on the changes to the Index, please contact ICBF on 023 88 20452 or dafmschemes@icbf.com
For SCEP queries, please contact SCEP at scep@agriculture.gov.ie