Thank you for your reply. It was much more useful than the flaming going on in the chatterbox. The solution is as follows:

1. Change the sql, so that there are 3 placeholders in the values clause:

  my $sql = qq {
    INSERT INTO peck_test
    VALUES ( ?,?,? )
    RETURNING my_id INTO ?
  };
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2. Change the binding as follows:

  $sth->bind_param      (1, $id,  SQL_NUMERIC);
  $sth->bind_param      (2, $name, SQL_VARCHAR);
  $sth->bind_param      (3, $desc, SQL_VARCHAR);
  $sth->bind_param_inout(4, \$id,  SQL_NUMERIC);
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I would also name the fields in the insert statement. It helps self-document and would simplify the command since you could omit the field populated by the trigger. And, it will keep you from having to revise this code should another field be added to the table. Also, if one of the fields you use is renamed or removed, the error messages might be more explicit.