Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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526. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of eligible farmers under the beef emergency aid measure scheme by county; the number of applications to the scheme; the number of approved applicants; the number of applicants whose applications were refused; the number of approved applicants that have received funding by county in tabular form; and if he will consider extending the deadline to ensure the maximum number of persons can apply to the scheme and drawdown funding. [37718/19]

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 passing on midnight of the 15^thSeptember.  At the date, there were 32,525 approved applications received and these will be subject to validation and controls prior to any payment being made. A further 481 applications have been submitted under appeal from applicants that have been deemed ineligible but who have requested to be considered for inclusion in the scheme. Payments under BEAM are scheduled to commence in December 2019.

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

The county breakdown of potentially eligible herds as defined in the scheme Terms and Conditions is as follows: