From 1 January 2025, the maximum age in the beef carbon reduction (BCR) scheme drops from 30 months to 28 months.

That reduction will inevitably mean more cattle are slaughtered close to their cut-off date to be eligible for the £75 per head payment.

The terminology around ‘maximum age’ is an issue that has already caused some confusion in the first year of the scheme, with some factory agents telling farmers they must slaughter cattle the day before the animal hits 30 months.

However, at the CAFRE information meetings, held in March and April 2024, it was made clear that an animal slaughtered on the day it reached the maximum age was eligible for payment.

For example, an animal born on 1 April 2023, has to be slaughtered on or before 1 August 2025 to be eligible for the BCR payment in 2025.

On 2 August 2025, it is 28 months and one day of age and outside of the scheme.

To help farmers make informed decisions, it is worth checking the status of animals in the herd via the BCR scheme portal, which can be accessed from the DAERA website (daera-ni.gov.uk).

A printout can be generated from the portal, which shows the age (in months and days) of all cattle in the herd.

As well as the age requirement, cattle must be born and reared in NI.

Steers, heifers and young bulls are eligible, with the payment going to the person who owned the animal for at least 60 days of the last 100 days of life.

Payment

The first BCR scheme payment, relating to cattle slaughtered during 2024, is due to be made in March 2025.

In 2026, the age limit in the scheme drops to a maximum of 27 months, while from 2027 onwards, it is a maximum of 26 months at slaughter.