Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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623. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans of his Department regarding its recent decision on the amalgamation of herd numbers and the impact which this will have on BEAM compliance if applied retrospectively; the way this approach is compatible with correspondence which issued to farmers indicating their state of compliance with the BEAM scheme nitrates reduction obligations prior to the decision to amalgamate these herd numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32981/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was 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. 

One of the conditions of the BEAM scheme under which funding was provided by the EU was that there had to be an element of reduction or re-structuring built into the scheme - Article 1 (3) of (EU) 2019/1132 refers.  Accordingly, in applying for BEAM, participants agreed to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on their holding by 5% for the reduction period 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021 as compared with the reference period 1st July 2018 to 30th June 2019. 

Section 3.1 of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) Terms and Conditions define a holding as:

 “All the production units managed by a farmer during 2018 and subsequent years and situated within the territory of the Republic of Ireland” 

Where a BEAM participant has during the BEAM reference period (1st July 2018 - 30th June 2019) and/or the BEAM reduction period (1st July 2020 - 30th June 2021 or in the case of deferment 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021), had one or more associated herdnumbers linked to their BEAM application herdnumber on the Department’s Corporate Customer System (CCS), these herdnumbers are deemed as being be part of the particpant’s holding in line with section 3.1 of the BEAM Terms and Conditions.

As part of the holding, any bovine animals in these associated herd numbers during the BEAM reference period or the BEAM reduction period will be included in the bovine nitrates figures for the holding. The associated herd letters that issued in recent weeks to some BEAM participants reminded those participants of their obligations under the scheme vis a vis section 3.1. It should be noted that the option for farmers to defer and choose the alternative reduction period of 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021 closes at midnight on 21st June 2021.