Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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476. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received under the beef compensation plan by the closing date of the scheme; his plans to reopen the scheme and relax the condition that to participate in the scheme a farmer must be in one of GLAS, the beef genomics scheme, the knowledge transfer scheme or the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37068/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The object of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. BEAM is funded by a combination of EU exceptional aid and Exchequer support, provided in light of the difficult circumstances that Irish beef farmers have been facing as a result of market volatility and uncertainty.

Under the scheme, aid will be paid on adult cattle slaughtered between September 24, 2018, and May 12, 2019, at a rate of €100 per animal subject to a maximum of 100 finished animals per herd.  Aid will also be paid on suckler cows that calved in 2018, at a rate of €40 per animal subject to a maximum of 40 sucklers per herd.

In order to be eligible for payment applicants needed to be a participant on one of the following schemes;

- Organic Farm Scheme (OFS)

- Green Low Carbon Agri-Environmental Scheme (GLAS)

- Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP)

- Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP)

or

- Be a participant or agree to join the Bord Bia – Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS)

Applications for BEAM were accepted from the 19^thAugust with the deadline for applications extended to midnight of the 15^thSeptember.  32,525 applications were received before this closing date and these will be subject to validation and controls prior to payment. 

Following consultations with stakeholders, I have now extended the closing date further and reopened the online application facility.  Applications can now be submitted until 5pm on Friday 20th September.  I am also happy to facilitate potential applicants at my Department’s tent at the National Ploughing Championships where I will have a dedicated team on site each day to answer any queries potential applicants may have and assist them in submitting their applications.