The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the replacement to the BDGP scheme, will open for applications in March, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.

“The intention is that this will open next March,” David Buckley of the Department’s direct payments division told the Irish Farmers Journal CAP meeting in Tuam last week.

In terms of reference years, farmers will be able to choose their cow numbers in the scheme depending on stock numbers on their farm between 2016 and 2021.

“We’ll present you with the number of cows that you calved from 2016 to 2021, those six years.

“Then, we’ll take the average of the best three years for you. Just say for argument’s sake you had 40 cows and you went down to 38, say the average was 39. We’re going to present you with 39 and you can take a lesser number than that if you so wish.

“There’s nothing stopping you going up during the scheme, but we won’t pay you for any more than that number you set at the time,” he said.

He confirmed that farmers won’t face a clawback of payments if they cut down on numbers later on in the scheme.