New Suckler Cow Calculator now available
Date published:
DAERA has announced the launch of an innovative Suckler Cow Calculator, a practical, user-friendly tool designed to support farmers participating in the Suckler Cow Scheme.
The Suckler Cow Scheme was launched on 1 April 2025, as part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme. It aims to encourage improvements in environmental performance, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced farm business productivity and profitability by incentivising a reduction in the age of heifers at the time of their first calving and shorter intervals between suckler cow calving events.
The Suckler Cow Calculator is an intuitive digital solution and is accessible via computer, tablet, or smartphone. By entering key dates farmers can automatically calculate:
- Age at First Calving Targets - by inputting an animal’s date of birth, the calculator will return the minimum date of calving and the eligibility range of a given heifer.
- Calving Interval Targets - by inputting an animal’s last calving event date, the calculator will return the minimum date of calving and the eligibility range of a given cow.
The launch of the Suckler Cow Calculator marks a significant step forward in supporting farmers in monitoring the calving dates of their suckler cows. By equipping farmers with the right tools, information and support, DAERA is helping drive progress in the sector - reducing environmental impact, fostering sustainability and prosperity.
Additional enhancements have also been added to the Suckler Cow Animal Screens on the portal allowing farmers to search for an ear tag, filter for a specific herd, sort by ear tag/date of birth/herd number/event date/dam age at event and generate PDFs for individual and overall herd lists.
Further support is available from CAFRE, with Suckler Cow Fertility Themed Groups open for application until 19 September. Apply now at the CAFRE website.
Full details of the Suckler Cow Scheme, including business and animal eligibility rules.
Notes to editors:
- The Suckler Cow Scheme is being implemented over a four-year period and will incentivise a progressive reduction in the age at first calving of heifers and the calving interval of suckler cows each year. Payments of £100 will be made for each eligible calving event.
- Payments are capped at 222,000 calving events in NI per Scheme year.
- The Advisory Service can be contacted by email: agriculturalandenvironmentalschemes@daera-ni.gov.uk, or alternatively call 0300 200 7848 from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00pm for support and guidance on how to opt in. Ask to speak to someone about the Suckler Cow Scheme.
- Communications regarding the opt-in status of the scheme are sent through DAERA Messaging to farm businesses and their authorised person (if applicable). Notifications of new DAERA messages will be emailed to the registered account holder(s). Farmers are encouraged to ensure their email address on record is up to date and to regularly check for communications from DAERA Agricultural & Environmental Schemes.
- To access DAERA Messaging for current and future communications, farm business members must register for a DAERA Online Account by registering first for NI Direct or Government Gateway. Assistance for registration is available from DAERA by calling 0300 200 7840.
- Follow DAERA on X formerly called Twitter and Facebook.
- All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office: pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or telephone: 028 9016 3460.
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours’ service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.