24 hours left to apply for new BEEP scheme

Tomorrow, Friday, February 22, is the final day on which applications can be made to the new Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP) scheme, which was announced at the end of last month.

Farmers will be able to apply online via www.agfood.ie; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine says that applications will not be accepted after tomorrow.

Farmers will then have between March 8 and November 1 to submit the weight data of unweaned calves and their dams, for which the department is offering €40 per cow-calf pairing.

The payments will be made throughout the month of December this year.

The BEEP scheme has a number of rules and restrictions, including: all calves submitted for weighing must have been born between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019; the unweaned calf and its dam must be weighed on the applicant’s holding on the same day; and only scales registered in accordance with the scheme’s terms and conditions can be used.

Back when he launched the scheme on January 30, Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said: “The [BEEP scheme] is a targeted support for suckler farmers and is specifically aimed at further improving the economic and environmental efficiency of beef production…I would encourage all beef farmers to apply for this scheme.”

The full set of the department’s terms and conditions for the BEEP scheme can be found here.