The inclusion of mandatory IBR testing in the new National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS) is a contentious subject, with many farmers voicing their dissatisfaction since the scheme was announced on Wednesday.

A question which has arisen on a frequent basis surrounds the implications of not complying with one of the mandatory actions.

Some farmers who are querying this are concerned that if animals test positive for IBR that this information will end up being detailed or have to be made available in the case of animals being sold.

The terms and conditions of the scheme state that farmers who sign up to the scheme consent to have their information transmitted to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and the farm’s private veterinary practitioner.

The terms state that where no IBR testing is undertaken or where it is undertaken and not enough samples are taken for the size of the herd, then no payment will be received for this action.

In addition, a 10% penalty will apply. The penalty is applied on the overall payment a participant would receive were they to complete both actions satisfactorily.

Example penalties

Example 1: if we take a herd with 15 suckler cows and 14 calves born from 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 and that completes the meal feeding action but not the IBR testing action the potential payment is as follows:

Example 2: if we take another example of 44 cows and 40 calves born from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 and again completion of the meal feeding action but failure to complete IBR testing, then the penalty schedule is as follows:

Meal feeding penalties

Penalties will apply under the meal feeding action where no meal feeding has been undertaken and/or receipts for meal feeding are not provided when requested within the timeframe stated at the time of the request. The penalty schedule is similar to the IBR action.

There will be no payment for Action 2, meal feeding, plus a 10% penalty of the overall payment the participant would have received had both actions been complied with.

If we take the same two example herds as above, but this time base it on non-completion of the meal feeding task, then the penalty is as follows:

Example 3: herd with 15 suckler cows and 14 calves born from 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 and who completes the IBR testing action, but not the meal feeding action, the potential payment is as follows:

Example 4: herd of 44 cows and 40 calves born from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 and completion of IBR testing, but failure to complete the meal feeding option, then the penalty schedule is as follows:

Examples 3 and 4 show the importance of ensuring that the meal feeding action is completed.