Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Dermot Kelleher has welcomed an extension of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) deadline for becoming Bord Bia quality assured.

Farmers now have until 22 January to become Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) accredited, with the previous deadline having been set for 16 October.

Kelleher said that he understands farmers‘ reluctance in signing up for Bord Bia accreditation, but, as the requirement is set in stone, the aim is to maximise the funds drawn down by farmers through the SCEP scheme.

'Wrong on several fronts'

Some farmers are making use of professionals to undertake paper needed for accreditation, while others are using smartphone apps or software packages to make record-keeping easier ahead of audits, he said.

“[The] ICSA has always been adamant that tying a suckler scheme to Bord Bia is fundamentally wrong on several fronts,” he explained.

“However, the rule is now written in stone and we have to face the fact that many farmers have already signed up for this, so our objective now is to get all the money available to farmers.”

The farm leader mentioned that many suckler farmers who sell stock through marts have a “deep-seated reluctance” to enter the SBLAS.

“However, I would ask that farmers should not give up on the payment worth €150/head on the first 22 cows without at least trying to get into the SBLAS.

“Some of the previous problems with quality assurance schemes have been ironed out and it is now the case that farmers don’t fail on inspection.

“Instead, they get a chance to rectify any shortcomings. Moreover, the inspection process has been streamlined, so it takes less time than previously,” Kelleher said.

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