Last Chance for Older Cattle Disposal Scheme
UK - Famers are advised that there is still time to book their animals into the Older Cattle Disposal Scheme (OCDS) before it closes on December 31, but will need to move quickly to secure the few slaughter spaces that still remain.
14 November 2008
2 minute read
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead said:
"Farmers will need to move quickly if they are to secure the few slaughter places that are still available. Traditionally the demand for the cull of these animals is at its peak in the final quarter of the year and this is likely to be the case again in this final year of the scheme.
* "The scheme has provided valuable support to farmers following the change to the Over Thirty Month rule." |
|
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead
|
"The scheme has provided valuable support to farmers following the change to the Over Thirty Month rule. The European Commission have made clear there is no prospect of extending the scheme beyond 2008. After this date, no compensation will be paid and any pre-August 1996 cattle that remain on farms will have to be disposed of as fallen stock, with producers meeting the cost."
Although the booking in system for the OCDS would normally close at the end of September for those wishing to present animals for slaughter in the period October 1 to December 31, the Rural Payments Agency have lifted these restrictions for the final year of the scheme.
The Older Cattle Disposal Scheme (OCDS) replaced the Over Thirty Month Scheme (OTMS) for pre-August 1996 cattle following implementation of a change to the OTM rule. The proposed scheme disposes of pre-August 1996 animals, which are barred from the food chain, and provides farmers with compensation for their stock.
The OCDS is a three year scheme, with a fixed rate degressive payment for producers over the three year period. The compensation rate for 2008 is €292.
The Scheme ends on December 31 2008. After this date, no compensation will be paid and any pre-August 1996 cattle that remain on farm will have to be disposed of as fallen stock and despatched to an approved sampling site for BSE testing and onward disposal.
TheCattleSite News Desk
