No intention 'at this time' to change BEAM 5% reduction

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has said that there is no intention “at this time” to change the 5% manure nitrogen reduction requirement under the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) scheme.

At present, participants in the scheme will be required to reduce levels of livestock manure nitrogen by 5% over the period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, compared to the period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, entailing a stocking reduction on participating farms.

There have been calls from many quarters for this requirement to be postponed or dropped in light of Covid-19.

The department has said that, because the requirement – part of the conditionality of the scheme sought be the EU – “only begins in July, and is reviewed across the duration of the year, it is not intended to amend that condition at this time”.

The department has also confirmed that, over the next number of weeks, it will begin writing to farmers in the scheme to explain the manure nitrogen reduction in greater detail.

The reduction is measured on bovine livestock manure nitrogen from animals on the holding, and cannot be offset by exporting slurry or by claiming additional land, the department explained.

It also said that, outside of the reduced stocking levels, “restructuring” of the participating herds can also help towards meeting the reduction target.

The letter the department will be issuing will explain how farmers can view and monitor their bovine nitrates trend on a quarterly basis through their BEAM screen under their Agfood account.

This will enable them to monitor current nitrates levels against their target level and provide them with an indication of their progress towards achieving the 5% reduction. The letter also details practical examples to show how the reduction might be achieved in some representative sample scenarios.

When farmers log on to their BEAM page under their Agfood account, they are currently provided with their first quarter nitrates calculation.

These figures include:

Base nitrates level (kgs);
Quarterly updated 12-month bovine nitrates value (kgs);
Target bovine nitrates level.

This figure is supplied by data generated from the department’s Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system. AIM will provide an updated 12-month figure for each participant’s BEAM screen every quarter.

The department says that participants who need advice on how to manage this reduction can contact the department or consult an agricultural advisor to “work out which approach will make most sense on their farm”.