Beef cattle at Greenmount. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
The Ulster Farmers’ Union is reminding beef farmers to be aware of requirements for the Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) scheme, which was introduced by DAERA at the start of the year, as they may be eligible.
DAERA has introduced a new system update to the BCR portal to help farm businesses keep track of their animal data. Farm businesses and authorised persons who have opted into the scheme will be able to check the portal to view the status of their cattle to confirm if the slaughtered animal will be eligible for payment. The new system also allows farmers to check if live cattle are approaching the maximum age of slaughter in that scheme year.
To be eligible for a BCR payment, an animal must have been kept within a herd associated to the farm business (on NIFAIS), for at least 60 days (continuously), within the last 100 days before the slaughter date. Farmers should be aware that even if they didn’t slaughter the animal, they could still be eligible for payment if they kept the animal within their herd for at least 60 days within the last 100 days before slaughter.
Opt in
It’s vital that all eligible farmers make sure they opt in to the BCR scheme, which is part of the beef sustainability package. Currently, a third of beef farm businesses in Northern Ireland who are eligible for the scheme, have not opted in and the deadline to do so is 31 December 2024.
The BCR Scheme opened on 1 January 2024. BCR works on scheme years, with one payment per scheme year. Each scheme year will run from 1 January to 31 December. Payment rate is £75 per animal and the 2024 year is 30 months and under.
How to opt in?
To receive BCR payments, eligible farm businesses must opt into the scheme online to receive payment and can do so now via the DAERA website, www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/how-do-i-opt-bcr.
To be able to opt in, you will be asked to sign in using your GOV.UK Government Gateway or Northern Ireland Identity Assurance (NIDA) details.
You only need to opt-in once from 2024.
Once you have opted in, you will receive a message through DAERA messaging service confirming this.
For more information on the BCR scheme, including business and animal eligibility rules, follow www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/beef-carbon-reduction-scheme.
