A €20m scheme to support suckler farmers has been announced as part of a range of climate-related support measures by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe as part of Budget 2019.

  • Amount: €20m

    • Minister Donohoe and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed confirmed a €20m support scheme for suckler farmers, called the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot Scheme (BEEPS) as part of Budget 2019 on Tuesday.

    As exclusively revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal on Monday night, the scheme will build on the existing Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP).

    The Minister for Michael Creed confirmed the funding for sucklers in a tweet on Tuesday: “In 2019 [the Department of Agriculture] will introduce a €20m Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot Scheme (BEEPS) building on our existing €300m BDGP commitment to our beef sector,” he tweeted.

    The Irish Farmers Journal understands that farmers will receive a payment of up to €40 per suckler cow for providing weight data on both cows and calves.

    Watch reactions by opposition politicians to the announcement:

    IFA president Joe Healy said that the funding of €20m through a pilot scheme for suckler farmers was a recognition of the income crisis in the sector, but the level of funding was disappointing and more needed to be done to help sustain the suckler herd.

    He said it is essential that the new measures are farmer-friendly.

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    Budget 2019 suckler support payment revealed