The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed has said that any decision to let more farmers into the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) will depend on budgetary priorities.
The BDGP forms part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme and will provide suckler farmers in Ireland with some €300 million of funding over the next 6 years.
According to the Department, the BDGP builds on the investment in data recording and genomics in recent years, and will ultimately bring about long-term improvements to the sector by fundamentally improving the genetic quality of the beef herd.
The Beef Data and Genomics Programme has been agreed with the European Commission as part of the Rural Development Plan (2014-2020) for Ireland.
IFA National Livestock Chairman Angus Woods said the Beef Data and Genomics Scheme for sucklers should be reopened immediately to allow applicants in during 2016.
He said IFA has been in contact with senior officials in the Department of Agriculture making the case for the reopening the scheme, “There is no reason the scheme cannot reopen and it makes very good sense as there are suckler farmers who would like to join the scheme.”
Minister Creed said last week that he is conscious of the positive impact that the BDGP will have on the Irish suckler herd both in meeting the objectives of the scheme in the context of the commitments Irish agriculture must make in the area of Climate Change and also in improving the productivity and profitability of the Irish suckler herd.
“Any decision on the extension of the scheme will take place within the context of an assessment of budgetary priorities, the operations of the Rural Development Programme and the potential impact on other schemes,” he said.