The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, revealed during Budget 2021, that there will be a €40 million allocation of funding for a one-year extension for the first tranche of the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) scheme.

This will allow current participants who are in the scheme the option to either exit this year or to continue on for an additional year.

The details of exactly what farmers will be required to do during this roll-over period have not been confirmed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. However, speculation suggests that it will more or less involve the same elements which farmers would have undertaken during their previous years in the scheme.

This would mean that farmers, who are open to the idea of remaining in the scheme and may have had plans to possibly reduce the number of 4 or 5-star females in their herd, would need to consider their actions carefully in the coming weeks. 

Planning in progress

Speaking to AgriLand this week, Chris Daly, from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), stated that the terms and conditions are yet to be decided.

Chris explained: “It hasn’t been finalised yet by the department; but what I would expect that it is going to be more of the same [components], in terms of farmers having to genotype their animals in the spring.

The only difference there may be is that the requirement [of having the reference number of females genotyped 4 or 5 star] might be increased from 50% to 60% by October 31, 2021. However, this only speculation; I cannot confirm that this will be the case.

Chris also confirmed that there are no plans, post 2021, for a scheme that would replace the current BDGP scheme.

It is assumed the department is waiting to examine the availability of funding from the European budget, once Brexit and the impacts of Covid-19 have been factored in.