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UFU slam DAERA suckler scheme chaos

Beef cattle at Greenmount. Picture: Cliff Donaldson

The Ulster Farmers’ Union says DAERA’s rushed timeline to roll out the Suckler Cow Scheme on 1 April 2025, will cause confusion for farm businesses and jeopardise the success of the scheme.

The initial start date for the Suckler Cow Scheme was 1 January 2025. However, DAERA recently announced that it was being postponed to 1 April 2025 due to budget matters, despite having years to prepare. The UFU then put forward a suggested start date of 1 January 2026 which would provide an easier adjustment for suckler farmers and allow time for clear communication.

UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said, “We’re extremely frustrated by DAERA’s refusal to postpone the Suckler Cow Scheme to 2026. The April 2025 start date will cause nothing but hassle for our farmers. DAERA is now expecting them to keep track of moving targets while managing already complex spring-calving systems. It’s absolutely ridiculous. We were not consulted on this change and farmers were not asked how it would impact their farm business. So much for the ‘co-design’ approach that was constantly referenced as a key part of the future ag policy. This is bureaucracy at its worst. Minister Muir said that delaying the scheme to 1 April 2025 will create ‘small changes’ but the dynamics of a spring calving herd says otherwise.

“In a spring calving herd, any cows calving in January – March will be excluded to 2026 and any cows calving from April onwards will be in year one. That means any cattle calving from April onward, will need to be calving down 415 days from their last calving date. Then in January – March 2026, these cows will need to calf down in 415 days from their last calving date, but the cows in the same block in 2026 from April onwards will need to calf down in 405 days. It’s complicated enough for farmers to keep track of calving intervals without spring calving herds being split in the middle.”

The first few months of the year is one of the busiest periods on farm with spring calving. Farmers will struggle to attend meetings to learn more about the scheme and the targets that have been set.

“For over a year, we’ve been telling DAERA that their communication with farmers about the Suckler Cow Scheme has been extremely poor and yet, they did nothing to improve it. Farmers have been left in the dark, and this last-minute scramble will only make it harder for them to meet the scheme’s targets.

“These schemes are supposed to be ‘farmer-friendly,’ but starting the Suckler Cow Scheme in April is anything but. By delaying the scheme to 2026, DAERA would give farmers the time and clarity they need. Workshops could be held, proper communication plans put in place, and the scheme could roll out in line with the calendar year, just like the Beef Carbon Scheme. It would support farmers to achieve the goal of improving suckler cow efficiencies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Delaying the Suckler Cow Scheme to 2026 is a common sense approach and we will continue to lobby DAERA on this matter,” said Mr Cuddy.