The new €50m beef scheme for finishers is to open in August.
The Department of Agriculture is currently designing the draft terms and conditions of the scheme, following engagement with farm organisations on it.
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen said this week that he hopes to be in a position to announce details of the scheme in the month of August, which would point to the scheme opening for farmer applications that month.
In his first major interview once he was appointed, Minister Cowen told the Irish Farmers Journal two weeks ago that it is his “priority to ensure that we design a plan to meet with the expectation that is there” for the scheme.
The Department must notify the scheme to the European Commission and the Minister has signalled that his Department is currently finalising the required documentation for the Commission.
He said he “expects to be in a position to submit the formal notification shortly”.
Farmer friendly
“The €50m beef exceptional aid package is targeted towards beef finishers in recognition of the fact that they have borne the most immediate and severe economic impact arising from the market disturbance arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The scheme is being designed to be as farmer friendly as possible to ensure that the support can be most effectively targeted where it is needed,” Minister Cowen said this week.
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen. \ Philip Doyle
A common demand from the farm organisations is that all of the €50m in the new scheme must be paid out to farmers, with no funding left unused and being sent back to the Exhequer.
Pay out
The IFA and ICSA want the support to be paid on all finished cattle including steers, heifers, young bulls and beef cows.
Both organisations want finished animals sold at marts to be eligible if slaughtered within 30 days and for finished animals exported to Northern Ireland, Algeria and Libya to also qualify.
They said factory feedlots should not be allowed to enter the scheme, with former Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed confirming that feedlots will not be eligible.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack said he wants an 80-head ceiling per farmer and the money to be paid out as soon as possible, while Macra wants young farmers prioritised in the scheme.
Read more
Beef Aid Package: €100/head on the cards
What the Department plans to target in the next CAP
Asking farmers to do more with less is a 'no-go’ - Cullinan to Cowen
The new €50m beef scheme for finishers is to open in August.
The Department of Agriculture is currently designing the draft terms and conditions of the scheme, following engagement with farm organisations on it.
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen said this week that he hopes to be in a position to announce details of the scheme in the month of August, which would point to the scheme opening for farmer applications that month.
In his first major interview once he was appointed, Minister Cowen told the Irish Farmers Journal two weeks ago that it is his “priority to ensure that we design a plan to meet with the expectation that is there” for the scheme.
The Department must notify the scheme to the European Commission and the Minister has signalled that his Department is currently finalising the required documentation for the Commission.
He said he “expects to be in a position to submit the formal notification shortly”.
Farmer friendly
“The €50m beef exceptional aid package is targeted towards beef finishers in recognition of the fact that they have borne the most immediate and severe economic impact arising from the market disturbance arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The scheme is being designed to be as farmer friendly as possible to ensure that the support can be most effectively targeted where it is needed,” Minister Cowen said this week.
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen. \ Philip Doyle
A common demand from the farm organisations is that all of the €50m in the new scheme must be paid out to farmers, with no funding left unused and being sent back to the Exhequer.
Pay out
The IFA and ICSA want the support to be paid on all finished cattle including steers, heifers, young bulls and beef cows.
Both organisations want finished animals sold at marts to be eligible if slaughtered within 30 days and for finished animals exported to Northern Ireland, Algeria and Libya to also qualify.
They said factory feedlots should not be allowed to enter the scheme, with former Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed confirming that feedlots will not be eligible.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack said he wants an 80-head ceiling per farmer and the money to be paid out as soon as possible, while Macra wants young farmers prioritised in the scheme.
Read more
Beef Aid Package: €100/head on the cards
What the Department plans to target in the next CAP
Asking farmers to do more with less is a 'no-go’ - Cullinan to Cowen
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: