The closing date for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) is fast approaching with the deadline for submitting applications falling at 23.59pm on Monday 22 May.

Applications can be submitted through an individual’s agfood.ie account or by a Farm Advisory System (FAS) adviser approved to act on your behalf.

The application process is pretty straightforward from the point of view of completing and submitting the application but some thought may need to be given to selecting the reference number. This is a new concept which has two elements – an overall programme reference number and an annual reference number.

Maximum payable area

Payments under the programme are based on a per-hectare basis. The maximum payable area is calculated by taking an average of eligible cow numbers from three years between 2016 and 2021. The Department’s system will select the three best years to deliver the maximum “programme reference number”.

An applicant can reduce this average cow number but it cannot be increased. If an applicant chooses to reduce the number this sets the upper limit on which payment will be calculated for the duration of the contract. This number is then divided by 1.5 to give the maximum payable area.

Yearly reference number

The second component of the reference number is whereby an applicant can set their “yearly reference number”. An applicant can opt to reduce the reference number by up to 20% of what the previous year’s reference number was.

This provides some flexibility for farmers who for example may want to reduce cow numbers over the duration of the programme. Where an applicant reduces the yearly reference number they can opt to increase this again in a subsequent year and can revert back up to the programme reference number.

The yearly reference number will be set in year one on submission of your application. From 2024 onwards an applicant will be given an opportunity to change their yearly reference number in January each year. If they wish to leave it unchanged then no action is required.

The application process is pretty straightforward as outlined below

1 Login to your agfood.ie account. From the homepage select ‘Ag Schemes – Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme’.

2 In the next webpage you will see the word ‘Action’ on the right-hand side and three dots beside it. If you hover the cursor over these three dots it brings up a popup window to advance to a new application.

3 Once this is selected you will be presented with your automatically selected maximum reference number and the maximum payable area.

4 On the next screen you must fill in your chosen reference number and the 2023 reference number.

5 On the final screen you must confirm you are willing to abide by SCEP terms and conditions and then submit the application. The date of submission will be recorded on your account.