The issuing of payments in full under the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Sucker (BEEP-S) initiative has been welcomed by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
Commenting, IFA Livestock Committee chairman Brendan Golden lauded the issuing of full payment to farmers for the measures they have implemented in the scheme.
He said farmers with 530,000 cow and calf pairs, in over 24,000 herds, have carried out measures in the scheme and have drawn down the full €40 million allocation.
“It’s important that farmers have received their full payment for the measures they implemented,” he said.
The level of participation shows the success of the scheme and underlines the importance of rolling the scheme into 2021, Golden contended.
Beef farmers urged to sell hard
Earlier today (Thursday, December 3), Golden urged beef farmers to “sell hard to maximise returns” as cattle supplies continue to tighten.
“The continual tightening of supplies of in-spec cattle and strong market conditions are driving the trade as factories fill orders,” he said.
Factories are paying €3.70 to €3.75/kg for bullocks, €3.75 to €3.80/kg for heifers with some deals higher, including flat prices for selective lots.
Continuing, Golden said the gap in the ‘Prime Export Benchmark’ price has only closed by 2c/kg with the Irish price currently 8c/kg below; this clearly shows further capacity in the market place for stronger prices, he added.