To date, payments amounting to just under €38 million have issued to almost 21,000 herds under the Beef Data and Genomics Program, according to the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed.
He said payments are continuing on an ongoing basis as compliance is achieved.
A total of 29,865 applicants were accepted into the Beef Data and Genomics Programme, of which 4,615 applicants have now withdrawn.
Of those herds that had withdrawn 125 applicants subsequently requested re-entry and were duly accepted. A further 132 herds have been excluded due to the absence of eligible animals.
Meanwhile, approximately 1,200 herds have not returned any genomic samples. The Department recently issued a letter to all of these applicants and is finalising the position regarding each applicant as replies are received.
A further 3,000 herds have not submitted sufficient samples and/or data to be eligible for payment at this point.
Department will shortly make contact with these herdowners to remind them to submit all outstanding samples and/or data to facilitate payment.
To date, 23,066 farmers have submitted data notifications under the Beef Data and Genomics Program (BDGP). 23,464 farmers have submitted genotyping samples.
Payment under the Beef Data and Genomics Programme will be made at the rate of €142.50 for each of the first 6.66 hectares of eligible forage area and €120 on the remaining eligible forage area.
The eligible hectares on which an applicant is entitled to claim will be equal to the number of calved cows on his/her holding in 2014 (known as reference animals) divided by a standard stocking rate of 1.5.
This is subject to a limit which is set by the eligible forage land declared by the applicant on his/her 2014 SPS application.