The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon to make amendments to penalties for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).

The calls come amid changes in Eurostar ratings, with the IBLA seeking meetings with ministers at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The association has asked the minister to ensure that are no penalties incurred for participants of SCEP in the 2025 scheme year, as a result of these changes.

The IBLA has asked the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to introduce a "blanket amnesty" for penalties.

Over the past two months, several Irish cattle breed societies have issued statements outlining that they are to cease publishing ICBF evaluations in their society sales catalogues.

Writing to the minister, the IBLA stated: "The current situation is not of any farmers creation and you have not intervened in the ongoing situation, where exists turmoil and errors. With our breed societies having no confidence in the current ICBF model."

"Until a resolution is found, a blanket amnesty from SCEP penalties must prevail and be applied for all farmers participating in the SCEP scheme.

"No future scheme should be allowed have onerous objectives, which are outside the farm gate and outside the control of farmers participating in any scheme," the IBLA stated.

The IBLA has also written to Minister for State at DAFM Michael Healy-Rae for meetings to “discuss the fallout from the ICBF and Teagasc actions”.

Sean Coughlan, chief executive of ICBF, has confirmed to Agriland that the economic values of the Euro-Star indices will be updated in the summer.

Work is already underway on updating the economic values and is being led by Teagasc’s beef enterprise leader Dr. Paul Crosson.