What is the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme?

The Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) helps ensure that beef farmers across Scotland receive support for rearing eligible suckler calves.

Identifying which animals qualify and preparing accurate submissions to ScotEID can take time, especially when managing a busy herd. Herdwatch helps simplify that process by bringing eligibility checks and record preparation into one place.

Take the hassle out of SSBSS submissions

Herdwatch includes an SSBSS record feature designed to help Scottish farmers determine which calves may qualify for the scheme.

• View the eligibility status of calves born on the farm
• Select and save animals that meet the criteria
• Generate a CSV file of selected animals for upload to ScotEID

Please note: Herdwatch helps you identify eligible animals and generate the submission file, but you must still upload the file yourself through the ScotEID portal. Herdwatch does not track the actual submission or final eligibility approval.

Current eligibility criteria

To qualify under the scheme, animals must meet the relevant eligibility requirements.

Eligible animals

• You must own or lease the animals
• Animals must be born on your Scottish holding and kept there continuously from birth for at least 30 days
• Animals must be born on or after 2 December 2024 for the relevant scheme year
• Animals must have a valid cattle passport and be registered with ScotEID
• You must not already have been paid for them under previous Scottish beef calf support schemes
• Animals must be correctly officially identified and tagged
• Animals must be at least 75% beef bred
• Calves must be the first offspring registered to the dam, or the registered offspring of cattle with a calving interval of 410 days or less

Annex A of the scheme rules lists non-eligible breeds.

Dual-purpose breeds

Animals from dual-purpose breeds may only qualify if they are part of a suckler beef herd. Progeny from cows being used for milk production will not be eligible.

If you keep both dairy and suckler herds, you may need to demonstrate that the dam of the claimed calf is not part of the milking herd.

Breeds currently identified as dual-purpose include:

• Montbeliarde
• Meuse Rhine Issel
• Fleckvieh
• Fleckvieh Cross
• Blue Albion
• Blue Albion Cross
• Swedish Red Polled

How does Herdwatch know who is eligible?

For the 2025 scheme, Herdwatch shows calves born after 2 December 2024 and uses predefined scheme criteria to indicate whether animals meet or fail certain conditions.

This makes it easier to manage your herd in line with SSBSS requirements and quickly identify animals that may need further review.

Icon indicators

• Orange Triangle – Not eligible: the animal does not meet one or more scheme criteria
• Blue Question Mark – Dual-purpose breed warning: the animal can still be submitted, but additional evidence may be required
• Blue Eye – Identification category: view the animal’s ID type at a glance

How to use the SSBSS feature in Herdwatch

To create a record

• Open Herdwatch and tap the orange plus button on the home screen
• Select SSBSS
• Choose your animals and press Save
• Tap Run CSV of claimed animals to generate your submission file

To view or edit saved records

• Go to Management from the home screen
• Select SSBSS
• Tap any saved record to view details and selected animals
• Tap Run CSV again if needed
• To make changes, tap the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Edit
• Add or remove animals as needed, then tap Save

Why use Herdwatch for SSBSS?

By integrating SSBSS tracking into your existing herd management workflow, Herdwatch helps farmers save time and reduce admin pressure.

• Saves time by streamlining eligibility checks
• Reduces errors with built-in validation against scheme criteria
• Prepares submission-ready data in just a few taps
• Keeps records organised within your wider herd management system

Herdwatch continues to make complex compliance tasks simpler and more accessible for farmers across the UK. If you are managing suckler calves in Scotland, the SSBSS feature can help ensure you do not miss qualifying animals.

Stay on top of SSBSS submissions

The SSBSS is an important support scheme for Scottish beef farmers, and accurate identification of qualifying calves matters. With Herdwatch, you can simplify the process, improve accuracy, and prepare your submission file more efficiently.