Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for Northern Ireland Andrew Muir, has issued a reminder that the Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme remains open for interested farmers to partake in, with new animal information screens available.
Failure to opt into the BCR Scheme prior to its December 31, 2024 deadline, will prevent farmers from accessing the payments allotted to eligible animals slaughtered during the year.
The BCR Scheme was introduced by DAERA at the beginning of the year, providing a new income support scheme to encourage farmers to reduce the slaughter age of cattle with the view to improving overall industry efficiency and to reduce its carbon footprint.
As of April 1, 2024, a livestock holder is entitled to £75 per eligible slaughtered animal.
The online BCR portal which handles applications has been updated recently to include a new screening system which enables farmers and livestock handlers to check the status of their cattle to confirm if the animal will be eligible for payments under the scheme once slaughtered.
The screening infrastructure also allows livestock owners the capacity to check if their cattle are approaching the maximum age of slaughter in that scheme year.
Minister Muir said: “The BCR Scheme is a significant milestone in supporting our farming sector in its move towards greater environmental sustainability and is a key lever in helping the agriculture sector meet the obligations of the Climate Change Act.
“I would encourage farmers to opt in for this scheme and engage with the department on how best to adapt their on-farm practices to meet the targets set and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable and productive sector.
“The new animal information screens through the system update will be a useful tool to help farm businesses achieve this.
Farm business can apply to the BCR scheme on the DAERA website, which only requires a once off application in 2024 to be eligible for payments in the years after, provided they continue to meet the prerequisites.
However, farmers must have claimed and availed of the Basic Payment Scheme in 2024 and in future years to avail of the BCR scheme in the same year.
No penalties will incur if a farmer has opted into the scheme without having any eligible animals.
Communications about the status of payments and are available through DAERA’s messaging to account holders. Payments are capped at a maximum of 352,000 animals in NI per scheme year.
