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Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe’s cautious budget has been criticised by farm organisations as fears of a no-deal Brexit grow.
An overall €650m no-deal Brexit fund has been created, €110m of which will be immediately triggered for agriculture in the event of a no-deal with matched funding promised from Europe.
The €85m will be broken down into €45m for BDGP and €40m for a targeted scheme
Other budget measures include a separate €85m fund for beef farmers and €18m for the continuation of the Sheep Welfare Scheme.
The €85m will be broken down into €45m for BDGP and €40m for a targeted scheme. Minister Creed confirmed that this will be based on the BEEP scheme but with double the budget.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands a €10m vaccination and €10m dairy calf to beef weighing programme will be a new element of BEEP. It is expected that they will pay €20/calf and €10/calf respectively.
The carbon tax on agri-diesel will take effect from 1 May next year
One of the sorest points for farmers will be the hike in stamp duty on commercial land to 7.5%. This includes farmland and will cost farmers an additional €1.4m/year.
The carbon tax on agri-diesel will take effect from 1 May next year. Farmers can offset the cost against tax, but farmers with no tax bill and contractors will have to bear the additional cost of roughly 2c/l.
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