Written answers

Tuesday, 15 October 2019

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Agriculture Scheme Data

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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482. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who applied for the BEAM scheme; the number deemed ineligible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42128/19]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael 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 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.

Applications for BEAM were accepted from 19 August until 20 September. In total 34,517 applications were recieved with a potential payment of €78,192,380.

A further 560 applicants who did not qualify for the support as they had failed to meet the eligibility criteria laid down in the scheme Terms and Conditions submitted an application under appeal in order to have their eligibility for the scheme reviewed.

Arrangements for the processing of these applications are in place in order to ensure the timely issuing of payments under the measure.

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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483. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of dairy farmers who have slaughtered cattle between May and September 2019 that were outside the eligibility criteria for the BEAM scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42129/19]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael 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).

A total of 12,546 herds had 198,811 adult cattle slaughtered in the relevant period but were deemed ineligible for payment under BEAM as they were recorded as milk suppliers, as defined in the Terms and Conditions of the scheme, and had greater than 40 dairy cows on the 31st of December of 2018 as per the Department's AIM system.

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