The Department will accept 2017 instead of 2014 as the reference year for the number of animals in a herd in certain limited circumstances. According to a recent letter to participating farmers, these include:

  • New entrants or young farmers. These may not have started farming in 2014, or have a very different number of animals this year.
  • Applicants affected by force majeure circumstances in 2014.
  • Farmers who “would otherwise be excluded from the programme on the basis that they had substantially reduced the size of their herds since 2014, ie where the number of reference animals declared in 2017 is substantially less than 2014”.

    • The opportunity to change the reference year is available only to participants in the second phase of the scheme, which opened earlier this year.

    There can be many reasons leading to a significant change in herd size since 2014. Farmers wishing to have this recognised for their BDGP reference calculation must write to the Department of Agriculture’s Portlaoise office or email beefschemes@agriculture.gov.ie by the end of Thursday 31 August explaining the reasons for their request and include any supporting evidence they consider appropriate.

    “This is a great opportunity for young farmers, in particular, who have been building up their stock numbers over the intervening years,” said ICSA suckler chair John Halley. “Changing the reference year to 2017 will allow these farmers to maximise what they can get out of the scheme.”

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    Full coverage: BDGP