Ms Maria Dunne:

The BEEP scheme was very much devised in consultation with the key stakeholders. There was a comment here that people have been told not to avail of the scheme but I urge people to avail of it. The scheme has been devised to be as simple as possible and ensure that as much of the payment as possible goes to the farmer. It targets both environmental and economic efficiency. We really believe that, in terms of supporting the suckler herd, environmental and economic efficiency is the way to progress. It is a one-year pilot scheme and the payment is up to €40 per calf. It is a very simple scheme as all one has to do is weigh the calf and dam, record their weights and submit the information to the ICBF. The application form is simple and is really just an indication that one will submit the weights. The application needs to be in with the Department by Friday. Applications can be made online or paper application forms can be obtained from the division in Portlaoise. We urge people to support the scheme. We have received very positive feedback about the scheme from the farming bodies. The payment might not be as much money as they would have liked but it has been acknowledged that the scheme was devised in consultation with them and is a step in the right direction.