As final nitrates figures for the second reference period of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) scheme become available in the coming days, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said there cannot be a repeat of the “heavy-handed and unnecessary approach to participants who were unable to meet the 5% reduction requirement last year”.

It is understood that more than 8,000 BEAM participants may have failed to meet this reduction target by the end of 2021.

The IFA’s livestock chairman, Brendan Golden, said that last year, farmers – without fair warning or engagement – had BEAM-related money taken out of their ANC and other payments.

Such a “fiasco” cannot be repeated this year if farmers have failed to meet the 5% nitrates-reduction target, he said.

Beef farmers are facing huge uncertainty as input costs spiral and are depending on these payments now more than ever, he added.

Current beef-price rises have been eroded by input-cost increases for feed and fertiliser, with Teagasc estimating that on higher-stocked farms, these inputs alone are adding 65c/kg to the cost of producing beef against a background of price increases of only 50c/kg.

“With the sector depending on direct payments for 160% of family-farm income, money cannot be withheld from these payments,” he added.

“The primary objective for the minister must be to safeguard BEAM payments for farmers by utilising, in full, the flexibilities given to him by the Commission last year,” said Golden.

He said there are a number of areas relating to the administration of the scheme in which the IFA have sought fundamental changes for farmers unable to meet the 5% reduction.

These include the reference period used to determine compliance levels, repayment options, and force majeure cases.

“The remaining farmers in the scheme opted to avail of the new reference period provided by the minister, and did so on the clear understanding this would not have a negative impact on their compliance levels. These farmers must be provided with the better figure of the two reduction periods.

“Farmers who are faced with a repayment requirement must be provided with the opportunity to repay this money over a period of time. It should have minimal impact on the farm income and be without interest charges.

“Periods of three to five years must be provided to minimise the impact. In relation to farms restricted with TB over the period, the department must revisit all of these cases. No farmer should be penalised while being prohibited from selling animals by the department,” he said.