The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been called on to extend the deadline for farmer compliance with the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP).
Ger O’Brien, the suckler chairperson with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), said that the deadline should be extended to March 31, 2021, due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“With the closing of marts and the lack of special sales taking place, it is proving difficult for farmers to buy in the necessary stock and this must be taken into consideration,” O’Brien commented.
Many ICSA members have been receiving letters indicating whether they are currently on course to comply with or fall short of the targets laid out in the scheme.
“Our concern is with the inability of those who fall short of the targets at present to rectify their position in the current time-frame, given that we are in the midst of a global pandemic,” O’Brien highlighted.
He added: “It must also be borne in mind that some farmers will be reluctant to buy in additional animals as they are simultaneously trying to reduce their stocking rate by 5% to comply with the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) scheme.
“In addition, we believe that the rule that precludes calves born this year, that are genotyped either 4 or 5 star, from being included in the scheme should be waived. This could give farmers an opportunity to retain the necessary animals within their herd and avoid penalties,” O’Brien went on to argue.
We are on the final leg of this ambitious scheme and we must give farmers every opportunity to see the programme through to the end.
“There can be no justification for penalising farmers, who have committed themselves to the scheme over a five-year period, for circumstances beyond their control,” the ICSA suckler chair concluded.