Bord Bia SBLAS- Questions and Answers

What is the Bord Bia SBLAS ?

The Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme which is also known as SBLAS is run by Bord Bia. The idea of Bord Bia SBLAS consists of setting out the agreed standards for production and certification of Irish Beef and Lamb.

SBLAS which was introduced in 2017, follows on from the previous Bord Bia Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme. The new scheme was put together in collaboration with the sector stakeholders to meet the demands of global food buyers for verifiable proof of Ireland’s sustainability claims. New features of the scheme include a new approach to sustainability, a close-out period for farmers, a Bord Bia help desk and recording the use of pesticides on the farm.

 

 

Benefits of Bord Bia SBLAS?

The Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance scheme strives to benefit both farmers and industries interests.

Farmer Benefits of Bord Bia SBLAS

There has been a big emphasis placed on the sustainability of beef and lamb, how farmers produce their animals and how to improve this through the SBLAS scheme.

The Bord Bia SBLAS scheme should lead to a decreased costs at farm level by reducing the costs of energy, feed and water that are required to produce animals.

A more direct benefit of membership of Bord Bia SBLAS and becoming a quality assured farm is access to the Quality Payment system bonus. This is an extra payment per kilogram of meat produced ( generally 0.12c/kg) farmers can get on their quality assured animals when they sell to the factory once animals meet the target specifications.  More information can be found here

Bord Bia SBLAS Residency Rule

In order for an animal to be deemed Quality Assured they must have resided in a quality assured farm for at least the last 70 days prior to being sold.

For instance, if you bought an animal from a farm that was not quality assured, you would need to keep that animal for 70 days on your farm before it would qualify for QA bonus payment.

However, if you bought the animal from a farmer who was quality assured and the animal was in their herd for 30 days, you would only need to keep the animal for only 40 days before the animal is eligible for the quality assurance bonus payment.

What Grade is the Quality Assurance bonus paid for?

When selling animals to the factory that meet the Bord Bia SBLAS residency requirements and having spent 70 days in a row on a Quality assured a farm(s),  only certain animals will qualify for the QA payment bonus.

This QA bonus is paid by the meat plants based on commercial criteria and market conditions at the time of slaughter of your animals.

It’s the responsibility of the farmer to check with their meat processor on the exact requirements in order to receive the Quality Assurance Bonus, factors could include the Number of Movements, Days in Herd or Grade for example.

Bord Bia SBLAS Industry benefits

The new scheme benefits the marketing of Irish meat produce in several ways.

Irish meat production is seen as a greener and more animal-friendly alternative to the intensive indoor production methods that exist in many other regions of the world. Bord Bia SBLAS demonstrates the commitment of Irish beef and lamb farms to continue “green” farming practices.

Animals produced from SBLAS farms showcase top quality meat as well as full trace-ability from farm to fork giving a natural advantage to Irish beef and Lamb over it’s international competitors.

Preparing for Your Bord Bia SBLAS audit

One fundamental requirement of SBLAS is a farm audit which is carried out every 18 months. Download our easy to follow Bord Bia Audit checklist to help you best prepare for your Bord Bia SBLAS Audit.