Concern over new BEEP scheme payment rates

CONCERNS have been raised that planned payments under the new BEEP suckler scheme may need to be cut due to the high number of applicants.

If participants take on the additional measures along with the weight recording measure, they will be eligible for a payment of up to €90 for the first 10 suckler cow/calf pairs per herd, and up to €80 per pair thereafter, subject to an overall maximum of 100 pairs per herd.

The Farming Independent understands the IFA warned its national council that with over 27,000 farmers applying to the scheme, it is estimated that some 600,000 cows are involved.

It said this would require funding of around €52m as opposed to the €35m allocated.

Under the term and conditions of the scheme in the event of the programme being oversubscribed, a linear cut will be applied to payments.

The Department of Agriculture said the number of eligible animals under the BEEP-S scheme will not be known until late July, following which the number of animals to be paid on will depend on the rate at which animal weighing and additional actions are carried out and recorded by the farmers.

Under review

Funding requirements for the scheme therefore are being kept under review, it said.

IFA national livestock chairman Brendan Golden said sucklers farmers made their application for the BEEP-S scheme based on the clear commitment from the then Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed on the payment rate.

He said: “This payment commitment must be honoured in full.”

Meanwhile, ICSA suckler chair Ger O’Brien said it is important that every farmer who has applied to participate in the BEEP-S scheme is paid on every action they complete.

“The current budget of €35m may not suffice given the numbers who have applied. However, with circumstances as they are due to Covid-19, every effort must be made to ensure there is no linear cuts to the payment rates,” he said.

“We need farmers to have confidence in the schemes they are being asked to participate in, and for that to happen, they cannot be shortchanged having applied to the scheme in good faith and having done all that has been asked of them.”

Under the scheme farmers can complete up to three actions with varying levels of payment.

The mandatory weighing action delivers €50 per first ten cow/calf weighing per herd, and €40 per cow/ calf weighing thereafter.

Additional actions include €30/calf payment for vaccination or pre-weaning meal feeding, and €10/calf for faecal egg testing.