A total of 18,700 farmers availing of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) are estimated to have met the 5% bovine nitrates reduction requirement by the deadline of June 30, according to latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

A total of 34,517 BEAM applications were received by the department and, according to its analysis of all BEAM participants, “just over 18,700 are on track to meet their 5% bovine nitrates reduction requirement by June 30”.

The analysis was conducted using the accumulated bovines data from July 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021 and the projected bovines nitrates from for the period May 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021.

BEAM deferment

According to department figures, a total of 16,042 participants applied for the BEAM deferment option on agfood.ie.

Department analysis of those participants using the accumulated bovines data from July 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021, and the projected bovines nitrates for the period May 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021, indicates that just over 5,000 of the BEAM deferment applicants were likely to have met their 5% bovine nitrates reduction requirement by June 30.

The department has outlined that in the case a farmer has met the 5% bovine nitrates reduction requirement, it will write to those farmers in mid-late August advising them of this and removing them from the BEAM deferment period.

Furthermore, the department’s analysis of all BEAM participants using the accumulated bovines data from July 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021, and the projected bovines nitrates from for the period May 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021, indicates that 14,559 farmers are likely to have missed the 5% reduction target for June 30, 2021.

Concluding, the department has highlighted: with that number (14,559), just less than 1,000 farmers will have a reduction of between 4% and 5%, with the balance (approximately 13,559) having a reduction of less than 4%.