Farmers have one week left to apply to change their reduction period under the Beef Emergency Aid Measure (BEAM), according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
In an online reminder to BEAM participant farmers today (Monday, June 14), the department highlighted that participants currently have the facility to select the later 12-month reduction period of January 1 to December 31, 2021.
However, those wishing to change to this later period must put in an application before Monday, June 21.
Farmers wishing to submit an application can do so via agfood.ie
Under BEAM, which was launched in 2019 “to give temporary financial aid to beef farmers in Ireland”, participants committed to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on the holding by 5% for the period July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, as compared with the period July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.
However, an amendment was made to the scheme back in February, where applicants can choose to defer the commitment to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on the holding by 5% for the period January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, as compared with the period July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.
Applicants will be responsible for monitoring the progress of their reduction over the period, the department notes.
Under the scheme, aid was 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 was also 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.