The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Livestock Committee chairman Brendan Golden is urging beef farmers to “continue to fight hard for price” while “demand is good”.

“€3.65/€3.70/kg is being paid out and farmers should continue to fight hard for price,” Golden said.

Adding that UK prices have increased slightly this week, he said that the “demands are good” for cattle in both Northern Ireland and the UK.

“The market is strong – trade in marts is very positive and weanling sales are off to a good start.”

Applications opened for Beef Finishers Payment scheme

Golden is also urging farmers who qualify for the Beef Finishers Payment (BFP) scheme to apply.

“We want the €50 million to get out to farmers as quickly as possible. The closing date is September 9 and I would encourage farmers to get their applications in promptly,” he continued.

The announcement of the opening for applications for the BFP scheme came from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary yesterday (Wednesday, August 19).

The scheme is a once-off, exchequer-funded grant aid scheme under the Covid-19 State Aid Temporary Framework with funding totaling €50 million.

The objective of the BFP is to “provide support for beef finishing farms in Ireland which have been severely impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Also Read: Beef Finishers Payment open for applications today

The minister commented: “This support aims to provide a valuable income support and mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for those farmers who finished cattle during the period from February 1 to June 12, 2020.

Beef farming is an important economic activity, with a significant multiplier effect in local rural communities, and thus is more important than ever in sustaining these communities.

“This scheme has been designed to make the application process as user-friendly and accessible as possible for farmers and I urge any farmer who is eligible for a payment to apply without delay.”