Payments commence for the first year of the Suckler Cow Scheme
Date published:
Payments for the first year of the Suckler Cow (SC) Scheme are now underway, DAERA confirmed today.
A key element of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme, the payments commenced from today 25th June 2026, with 98.6% of eligible businesses benefitting from £13.3 million in payments for 133,091 eligible calving events.
The Suckler Cow Scheme forms part of the Beef Sustainability Package and encourages improvements in environmental performance and productivity, increased profitability and reduced emissions.
The scheme enables farm businesses to improve breeding management practices to increase the percentage of eligible calving events that achieve a reduced age at first calving and a reduced calving interval over a four-year phased implementation period.
In Year 1, 85% of eligible farm businesses have opted in to the Scheme and approximately 72% of all calving events have achieved the Year 1 targets.
Following the release of the payments, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “I am very encouraged by the strong uptake in Year 1 of the Suckler Cow Scheme and am pleased to announce the commencement of the first payments under the Scheme to eligible farm businesses. While the principal purpose of the scheme is to deliver environmental benefits, in the current economic climate, these payments will also provide important support to our farm businesses.”
Payments will continue to be made to remaining farm businesses upon the completion of validations.
Year 2 of the Suckler Cow Scheme commenced on 1 April 2026.
The maximum age at first calving is now 32 months and the maximum calving interval is 405 days.
Farm businesses that have yet to opt into the Scheme, can still do so via the DAERA website at: How do I opt in for the SC Scheme?
The opt-in for Year 2 remains open and should be completed before 31st March 2027
A farm business only needs to opt in once to receive payment for the Scheme from 2025. If a farm business has opted in, it will receive a payment for eligible calving events each year thereafter, provided all eligibility criteria have been met in that Scheme year.
If farm businesses opt in and do not have any eligible calving events in that Scheme year, no penalties will apply.
Eligibility is limited to farm businesses receiving the Farm Sustainability Transition Payment in 2025 and the Farm Sustainability Payment from 2026 onwards. Each qualifying calving event receives £100, with a Northern Ireland cap of 222,000 calving events per Scheme year.
Full details of the Scheme, including, animal and calving event eligibility criteria, and How to Opt in video are available to view on the DAERA website at: Beef Sustainability Package.
Further information on the Sustainable Agriculture Programme is available on the DAERA website at: Sustainable Agriculture Programme.
Notes to editors:
- The NI Quantitative Limit on the maximum number of eligible calving events per year that can receive payments is 222,000.
- Applicants to the Suckler Cow Scheme will receive confirmation from DAERA that their opt-in is complete via DAERA messaging.
- Opting into the Suckler Cow Scheme uses the same online portal that is available for the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme.
- This is a digital only Scheme. Customers are advised that anyone in the farm business who has a DAERA online account and nominated agents can log in to view details of payment. Payment notifications will issue via DAERA Messaging.
- Registration for a DAERA online account can be completed at DAERA Online Services or call 0300 200 7840 and ask to speak to Customer Services Branch for support to get registered.
- The SC Scheme is part of DAERA’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme, more details on this can be found on the DAERA website at: Sustainable Agriculture Programme.
- Full eligibility criteria for the Suckler Cow Scheme and how to sign up can be found on the DAERA website at: Suckler Cow Scheme.
- For Scheme information and payment queries contact Payment Delivery Branch by email: Agriculturalandenvironmentalschemes@daera-ni.gov.uk or call the Grants and Funding helpline on 0300 200 7848 (Press 2 for Grants and Funding, followed by 1 for Payments Delivery Branch) Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00pm.
- An Agent or trusted person can be nominated by farmers to complete the application on their behalf. Agent Nomination can be completed online.
- 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.