Over 1,000 Donegal suckler farmers have applied to join the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme, but around 40% have yet to become members of Bord Bia’s Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.
One of the conditions attached to the scheme is that farmers must have been audited and certified by Bord Bia by October 16th.
Co-ordinator Damien Murray says that process can take up to three months, and applicants to SCEP that have not yet made contact with Bord Bia should act now.
He says the audit and application process is free, and not something farmers should be nervous about…….
Release in full –
Donegal applicants to suckler scheme urged to join Bord Bia
Monday July 10th: Over 1,000 Donegal suckler farmers have applied to join the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP). One of the eligibility conditions of the SCEP, as set by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is that participants must also become certified member of the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) by October 16th 2023.
However, around 400 of these Donegal applicants to the SCEP are not yet certified members of Bord Bia. Speaking about this shortfall, Damien Murray, Origin Green producer liaison and co-ordinator, said “These Donegal herds will need to be certified before the October 16th deadline in order to qualify for SCEP. This means the farmer needs to have applied to join SBLAS, undergone the audit, and achieved certification before that date. This process can take up to three months. Applicants to SCEP that have not yet made contact with Bord Bia need to act now, in order to register and arrange their audit as soon as possible”.
In total, nearly 8000 farmers or 40% of SCEP applicants are not currently certified to Bord Bia’s SBLAS.
Bord Bia operates a helpdesk for farmers, which is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. The Helpdesk will take applications, explain the requirements of the SBLAS, and help farmers prepare for the audit.
Damien continued: “The purpose of the audit is to monitor standards, not to penalise farmers. Most farmers are doing an awful lot of what is required for SBLAS already without realising it and have nothing to fear from a Bord Bia audit. The vast majority of farmers pass their audit without any issues being raised on the day. The audit is arranged at a time and date that suits both the farmer and the auditor, giving the farmer plenty of notice and time to prepare.”
During the audit, the auditor will inform the farmer if any area does not comply with the requirements of the standard. Any issues identified as non-conformances are explained by the auditor. The farmer has a period of up to 28 days to provide evidence of corrective action to fix any non-conformances found and ‘closeout’ the audit. This closeout approach means that a farmers will not fail on the day of audit if issues arise.
“Farmers can text, email or post evidence to the helpdesk who will assist with closeout or farmers can closeout themselves by logging onto farm.bordbia.ie. Farmers can also nominate a representative such as a son or daughter, or neighbour, who can assist them during this process, which helps those who may not be able to do so themselves,” Damien added.
How to join
- Call 01 524 0410to speak to the Helpdesk. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.
- The Helpdesk will take your application over the phone.
- 3. You will receive a member pack containing:
- the SBLAS Standard, i.e. the requirements of SBLAS
- A Farm Usage Book to help you document animal remedies records, feed etc.
- An audit checklist.
- Information on ‘closing out’ your audit (if any issues arise).
- The auditor will contact you to choose a suitable time and date for your audit.
