Rural Payments and Services

Claiming for the 2021 Scheme year

The majority of BES businesses joined the scheme in 2016 and, therefore, 2020 was the final year of their 5 year commitment. If you are unsure whether you started in 2016 or 2017; your contract will confirm your start date. This can be downloaded from your ScotEID account. If your contract was generated manually by RPID, the start year will be included in the reference. 2016 participants need do nothing else.

2017 contract starts

To continue your commitment for this scheme you must complete a Single Application Form (open from 15 March to 15 May). If you have applied online, the box should have already been pre-ticked for you, please check to make sure it is ticked. If you apply by submitting a paper SAF, please remember to tick the BES box to confirm you are continuing with the scheme. You must claim at least 80% of your defined reference hectares. The minimum area that must be claimed is set in table 3 of your BES contract.

Individual Farm Reports – update Individualized farm reports are currently being finalised by the SRUC geneticist for all scheme participants and we hope that they will be issued by the end of March 2021.

Distribution arrangements for tissue tagging in 2021 (for contracts starting in 2017 only) The BES team will again aim to make only one selection of animals for tissue tagging per business per year. However, businesses that have an even split of calving in both spring and autumn may receive more than one selection to ensure that the mandatory 20% of calves are selected.

We will aim to select as many as we can from the 1st selection. This selection will take place after the 7 February 2021 deadline.

An early selection in June for applicants who plan to sell their animals in September will be offered. If you wish to be included in the early round, please ensure that the calving details for your spring-born calves are recorded on your BES account by 9 June. Please note that having all your calving data recorded by 9 June is voluntary.

Tags for this early selection will begin to issue in early July and all will be issued by the beginning of September.

Applicants who do not wish to enter their data by this date remain subject to the scheme deadline of 15 July 2021 for recording calving data for calves born 1 January 2021 to 1 June 2021. A selection of these spring calves will be made in late July with tags starting to arrive in August and all tags arriving by 1 November 2021.

Please note, animals that have been selected from each round will appear on your tag tab in your ScotEID account. If you have not received tags by the beginning of September for the early selection or if you have been selected to receive tags following the scheme deadline but have not received tags by the beginning of November then please contact the BES mailbox.

Individual businesses who may have to tag more animals this year have already been made aware of this request.

The scheme guidance is a reminder of the scheme rules.

For further information, please contact the BES mailbox.