Export sales excluded from Covid-19 beef aid scheme

Farmers who sold cattle to the North or for live export won’t qualify for €100/hd payment

FARMERS who sold cattle for export, including to Northern Ireland, will miss out on the new Beef Finisher Payment, the Farming Independent can confirm.

The presence of Northern buyers at marts in recent months has seen a 75pc increase in cattle crossing the border, with 33,000 cattle going North since January 1.

However, farmers that tapped into this market and live export shipments will miss out on the new €100/hd payment.

A spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary told the Farming Independent that only cattle slaughtered within the State will be eligible.

ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham said the decision to exclude exported cattle from the Beef Finisher Payment scheme was a mistake and must be revisited.

“Farmers who supplied cattle to fill live export contracts on a slaughter certificate are being unfairly discriminated against by this decision,” he said.

“They are winter finishers who fed cattle and had to contend with the same market difficulties as were faced by others due to Covid-19.

“Moreover, it is the second time that exports of live cattle have been left out of compensation packages, having also been denied access to BEAM support.”

Valuable

Minister Calleary said 42,000 farmers will be eligible for the scheme and that it will help to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for them and provide a valuable additional income support this year.

“Beef farming is an important economic activity, with a significant multiplier effect in local rural communities, and thus is more important than ever in sustaining these communities as we work towards economic recovery,” he said.