Farmers Must Submit SCEP and Dairy-Beef Weights by November 1
Participants in the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme and the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme must submit their required weight records to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) by 5:30pm on November 1, 2026. Records must also reach the ICBF within seven days of the weighing event.
Under the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme, the payment is €20 for each eligible calf. Applicants must weigh at least five eligible calves and may submit records for no more than 50. Calves must be at least 12 weeks old when weighed and must have been registered in the applicant’s herd for a minimum of ten days beforehand.
The weighing equipment must be registered before the event under both schemes. Farmers hiring equipment are required to confirm with the supplier that the scales have been approved and qualify for the relevant scheme. Hiring is available through a range of nationally approved agricultural stores.
Farmers using their own equipment can register the scales through the ICBF website’s “registration of scales” option or by contacting the organisation. The registration process requires the owner’s name and address, the manufacturer, the indicator model and serial number, the year of purchase, and confirmation that the equipment is working properly.
SCEP requirements
Under action four of the SCEP, participants must weigh at least 80% of the eligible animals born on their holding during the applicable scheme year, together with their dams. The weighing must be carried out with registered scales on the applicant’s holding.
Each calf entered under this requirement must be unweaned and weighed alongside its dam on the same day. It must have been born in the applicant’s herd during the relevant scheme year, satisfy the programme’s eligibility conditions, and have remained in the applicant’s ownership, possession and holding since birth. SCEP calves must be at least 50 days old before weighing, with their records submitted within seven days and no later than November 1.
