We have received a number of queries about the 2021 BDGP scheme around guaranteeing payment. While many of the key deadlines have passed regarding having enough four-and five-star animals in your herd, some farmers still have some outstanding information to get back to ICBF before any payment can be made for the 2021 year.

The Carbon Navigator needs to be completed before any payment will issue for 2021. This can be completed on paper (ICBF will have posted a blank form out) or online at www.icbf.com.

Once finished, ICBF then notifies the Department of Agriculture that the task is completed so the payment can be cleared.

The final date for completion is 30 November in advance of an expected payment run in mid-December.

It’s a similar story with any outstanding tags. To avoid any delay in payment, tags should be sent back as soon as possible and by the end of November at the latest.

There have also been some queries around when BDGP participants can sell animals that were used towards having the four-and five-star complement in the 2021 scheme.

Once these heifers/cows were in your herd on 31 October 2021, they can be sold at any time after this. Bear in mind that the scheme is rolling over in 2022 and the same 50% four-and five-star requirement will apply in 2022.

Finally, there have been some queries around the new suckler carbon efficiency programme. The new targets in the scheme include:

  • In year one (2023), 50% of your reference number of cows must be four-and five-star on the replacement index. This then increases to 65% by 31 October 2025 (year three).
  • You must have 75% of your reference number of suckler cows genotyped four-and five-stars on the replacement index by 31 October 2027 (year five).
  • Farmers must be a member of the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef Assurance Scheme to enter the scheme.

    The payment rate is €150/cow for the first 10 cows and €120/cow after that.