Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Many farmers went into the beef data genomics programme, or BDGP, and will remember that when it came out first, there was a statement in red ink on the form that if they breached the scheme, all funding would be clawed back. It worried a lot of farmers at the time. Recent reports suggest that up to 22 farmers a week are dropping out of the scheme and in the first four months of 2019, 322 farmers dropped out of it. That tells us there is a problem here. At this stage, there is an underspend running to almost €10 million per annum in the scheme. Can the Minister clarify the number of farmers who have dropped out of the scheme, what his plans are for the funds that will be underspent in the scheme and whether he can make a statement on the matter to bring clarity to the situation?

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