Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) is designed to improve the environmental sustainability of beef rearing at farm level and thereby improve the overall genetic merit of the national beef herd.

The policy objective of this intervention is to accelerate genetic and sustainability gains delivered through previous support schemes for the beef sector. Genomic selection is central to the SCEP measures. Essentially, genomics is a tool that farmers can use to improve their breeding decisions by more accurately selecting the correct animals.

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) is the body approved in Ireland in accordance with the relevant EU legislation to conduct testing, genetic evaluation and publication of breeding values for beef and dairy cattle.

As part of its remit, I am advised that ICBF is currently updating its breeding indexes – the first significant revision since 2015 – based predominately on changing economic drivers such as feed costs and final sale values. A modest adjustment is also taking place based on earlier slaughter of animals and lower methane output in line with climate change objectives. In response to these index changes they have committed to convening a stakeholder forum to address issues and concerns raised by suckler farmers and pedigree breeders which I very much welcome.

I understand that a lengthy delay in implementing them would have adverse consequences for SCEP participants. For example, if an animal’s breeding index is increased to a 4 or 5-star rating, it will become eligible for SCEP compliance calculations but an animal with a downgraded rating has no negative effect for the herdowner because it is already counted as eligible for scheme purposes. Moreover, further delay will impact farmer breeding decisions and material provided by AI companies in both beef and dairy sectors as those decisions are made many months in advance and should be based on the latest available information.