Beef Sector Efficiency Programme Beep-S 2022

To further increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd through better quality data on herd performance, supporting decision making on farm and support of best practice in welfare management.

With the submission deadline fast approaching, we have put together some info below on the BEEP-S Scheme that may be useful. We highly recommend using Herdwatch to input your weights. Herdwatch offers a quick, simple and secure way of sending them to ICBF so that you are fully covered.

What does it involve and who is eligible?
• The programme is open to all suckler beef farmers who commit to completing the
mandatory action required within the duration of the programme, optional welfare
enhancement actions are also available for additional support.
• Payment will be on beef breed (dam and sire) animals born in the herd between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. Applications open on agfood.ie until 25th April 2022.

Additional information

• Grant aid of up to €8,100 available per suckler farmer
• Up to €90 for the first 10 calf/cow pairs and €80 for the remainder up to a maximum
of 100 pairs/herd
• Farmers who were in previous BEEP scheme must reapply if they wish to participate
• Mandatory measure: Weighing of live calf and dam and submission of weight
recording data to ICBF as outlined in the T&C documents
• Optional Measure 1: Vaccination or meal feeding at weaning as per T&C and or;
• Optional Measure 2: Fecal Egg testing as per T&C
• The Mandatory measure must be completed in full to be eligible for any aid for the
programme

Key dates

• Eligible Animals: Beef breed animals born between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022
• Applications: open till 25th April 2022
• Submission of weights: up to 1st November 2022
• Payments will be made in December 2022.

Can I weigh animals in groups e.g. weigh a group of animals in a trailer on a weighbridge?

No, animals must be weighed individually using a weighing platform in a cattle crush. Weighing must be carried out on your farm. Mart weights or any other weights recorded off-farm will not be accepted for BEEP-S.

Can I use my own weighing scales?

Yes, you can use your own scales and record the weights yourself. The weighing scales must be registered with ICBF before you submit weights.

How do I register my weighing scales?

This can be done by logging into the ICBF website (www.icbf.com) with your username and password. Under the ‘Services’ dropdown, select ‘BEEP-S’ and then select ‘View/Register Own Scales’. Here you enter the:

• Make/model of the scales
• Year of purchase
• Serial number

If I don’t own a weighing scales, how will I weigh my animals?

• A Rental model weighing scales – Scales are available for farmers to rent from the BEEP network (www.mybeep.ie)
• Owned, borrowed or using a third party service providers’ scales –This is where a farmer can use their own scales or one belonging to a third party. Participants using owned, borrowed or using a third party service providers weighing scales will have to pre-register these scales with ICBF as per the T & C’s.

• FRS Weighing Technician Service – is a nationwide service available to any farmer wishing to comply with the BEEP scheme. An FRS Weighing Technician will come to your farm with a registered scales and complete weighing. All you need to do is submit the weighing results onto the BEEP database within 7 days of the animal being weighed.

How do I submit weights to ICBF after weighing my animals?

You can enter weights using:

• Farm Software (Herdwatch) – Weights recorded through Herdwatch will automatically be sent to ICBF which means you will get the benefit of better reporting from ICBF. Herdwatch is fully approved by ICBF to provide this integration free of charge to our members.
• ICBF web-site- You can record weights through a desktop/laptop computer through www.icbf.com Under the ‘Services’ dropdown, select ‘BEEP’ and then select ‘Record Weights’.
• Paper Forms– an official paper will also be available from www.icbf.com

Whose responsibility is it to ensure that weights are successfully submitted to ICBF?

In all instances it is the farmer’s responsibility to ensure that weights for your animals are recorded properly and submitted to ICBF within 7 days of the weighing event. This is especially relevant where you are availing of a technician service.

Download Herdwatch now to get fast weight recording and automatic average daily gains or call us on 050534400 for more info.