The IFA has called the exclusion of dairy farmers from the €100m Beef Emergency Aid Measure (BEAM) support fund as “discriminatory, unfair and unprecedented”.

“It was wrong of Agriculture Minister Creed to exclude prime beef cattle from dairy farmers from the BEAM scheme and it should be changed immediately,” IFA national dairy committee chair Tom Phelan said.

Brexit

The €100m fund came about as recompense for beef farmers who experienced losses due to Brexit uncertainty. Details of the scheme were announced last week.

Funding is currently only available for suckler farmers or beef finishers, but the scheme also allows for cull Friesian cows to receive a payment on the provision they come from a beef herd.

However, Phelan says that the IFA has lobbied the Government on the need to include dairy farmers.

“The scheme was meant for the genuine farmers who had lost money producing beef because of Brexit. Dairy farmers producing beef cattle have lost money on these animals during the reference period, and must be included.”

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