Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES) – 2018 Scheme year
To claim for this Scheme you must complete a Single Application Form (open from 15th March to 15th May) and indicate that you wish to continue your commitment for the Beef Efficiency Scheme.
You must also claim enough Basic Payment Scheme hectares to activate your continuing commitment.
In order to apply for your BES continuing Commitment, a tick box has once more been added to the online SAF submission. This can be found under the ‘Contracts and Continuing Commitments’ section.
To apply using the blank base form; a tick box has once more been added to Section 5’ entitled ‘Existing Contracts and Continuing Commitments’.
Please note, that a tick box is not new this year. Failure to complete this information in line with the SAF submission will result in your withdrawal from the Scheme, and recovery of the previous year’s payment undertaken.
Distribution arrangements for tissue tagging for 2018
We will once again aim to make only one selection of animals for tissue tagging per-business per-year. Businesses that have an even split of calving in both spring and autumn may be sent multiple requests for sampling but we will only select from calves that have not previously been through the selection process.
We will also offer early selections in June and October for applicants who plan to sell their animals in September or March. If you wish to be included in an early round, here are the deadlines to meet:
| Season | Uploaded to database deadline | Start to arrive on-farm | All sent out by |
| Spring born calving data | 9 June 2018 | Early July 2018 | 1st September 2018 |
| Autumn born calving data | 12 October 2018 | December 2018 | 1st February 2019 |
Please note that having all calving data recorded by the 9th of June or 12th November is voluntary.
Applicants who do not wish to enter their data by these dates remain subject to the Scheme deadline of 15th July 2018 for recording calving data for calves born 1st Jan to 1st June; and 7 February 2019 for recording calving data for calves born 2nd June to 31st December 2018.
A selection of these spring calves will be made in late July with tags starting to arrive in August and all tags arriving by 1st of November 2018.
A selection of these autumn born calves will be made in late February, with tags starting to arrive in early March and all tags arriving by 1st of May 2019.
Please be aware that if you receive an early selection this may result in more than one selection being made for your business.
Tissue Tagging – What to watch out for in Scheme year 2018
We are now a few years into the Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES), and there are a few factors that make a tissue sample unusable, which will limit the type of information you as a participant will see in the results for your herd going forward.
Here are a few of the issues we have encountered following return of the tissue samples.
1. Barcodes not matching on the top and bottom sections
Please try to work with one tag at a time. Failure to match the top and the bottom means that it is not known which animal the sample relates to.
2. Damaged tags
The more returned damaged, the less data that will be available to you for your specific herd. Please try to follow the instructions on how to tag an animal.
3. Bulls not being tissue tagged
We understand that sometimes the bull’s ears are too tough for a tag to be inserted. In 2017; we offered the option of blood sampling bulls. Please check the FAQs for further information on how to go about blood sampling a bull.
4. Samples held by the Cattle Society, and nothing returned to the Lab
The information being gathered by the Scheme is not comparable to the genetic information held by most breed societies; so please submit a tissue sample for the animal.
5. Sample Submission Form not completed
The is a record of what you have submitted to the Lab. Please tick the box if the sample will be present. Any issues – i.e. the animal is dead or no longer on the holding; enter the code in the last column. For any other issue, use this box to let us know why no sample is provided.
6. Sample Submission Form not returned with samples
Two copies of the Sample Submission Form are now being provided so that you have a record of what you’ve submitted, and the Lab have a record of what you’ve submitted. Failure to return the form, could lead to a delay in processing the samples. Please always return the Form in the box supplied.
7. Producer chose not to sample animals
It is a scheme requirement that all animals selected are tissue tagged unless they are dead or are no longer on the holding.
The more information available on animals selected, the better the predictions of future performance will be. This will also give an indication as to whether the calf once matured, will for example, calve with ease or need a lot of intervention – have calves that are vigorous and suckle quickly; and how aggressive or easy to handle they may be.
8. Sample missing – no reason given
With no reason being given; this will most likely lead to a warning letter being issued, and a further period being offered to provide the sample. If there are valid reasons for not returning a sample, please add the information to the last column. This will cut down on the need to issue a warning letter.
9. Participant thought samples had been returned already, so didn’t sample animals
There have been a few cases of this happening. What we’ve found is that samples had been submitted to the Lab for that particular animal, for other reasons – and not for BES. Please supply all samples requested if the animals are still on the holding.
For further information, please contact the BES mailbox
Last updated: 28 March, 2018