The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has received a total figure of 34,517 applications for the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM), a spokesperson for the authority confirmed.
At present, 560 applications are under appeal, the department spokesperson added.
Under the scheme, aid is paid on adult cattle slaughtered between September 24, 2018, and May 12, 2019, at a rate of €100/animal subject to a maximum of 100 finished animals per herd.
Aid will also be paid on suckler cows that calved in 2018, at a rate of €40/animal subject to a maximum of 40 sucklers per herd.
The scheme was open to more than 70,000 beef and suckler farmers.
- Be a member of or commit to joining the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) or a Department of Agriculture environmental scheme; and
- Reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen (total figure) per herd by 5% for a target period – July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021 – compared to a reference period of July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.
The BEAM scheme was opened for applications on Monday, August 19. The original deadline for the scheme was Sunday, September 8.
This was subsequently pushed back to Sunday, September 15, before a final extension until last Friday, September 20, at 5:00pm.