Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2019
497. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications submitted to the BEAM scheme; the breakdown between suckler and beef finishers; the amount required to meet the demand; the amount unspent; and if he will consider reopening the scheme. [52692/19]
View answerThe objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. Under the terms of that regulation, and the scheme as notified to the European Commission, it is not possible to open a second round of applications for the measure. The measure is co-funded with €50m of funding from the EU being matched by up to €50m of exchequer funds according to demand.
Applications for BEAM were accepted from 19th August to 20th September 2019. 34,517 approval letters issued to eligible BEAM applicants on the 11th October 2019 and, following further processing and validations, payments under the measure began on 12th December with 32,444 participants going forward for payments totaling €75,188,060.
8,476 participants qualified for payment solely under the Suckler element of the measure with a total payment of €6,016,920.
9,749 participants qualified for payment solely under the Finisher element of the measure with a total payment of €31,341,300.
14,219 participants qualified for payment under the Suckler and Finisher elements of the measure with a total payment of €37,829,840.
BEAM payments will continue to issue on an ongoing basis as more participating farmers are verified as compliant with the requirements of the Measure.
