Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022
437. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if unspent monies allocated for BEAM scheme funding can be reallocated within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19012/22]
View answerThe objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) implemented in 2019 was 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.
The measure was co-funded with €50m funding from the EU to be supplemented by up to €50m of exchequer funds to be allocated to the budget for the measure according to demand. Just over 33,000 participants joined the scheme and over €77 million was paid to them in 2019 representing a supplemental exchequer allocation of €27 million.
The core support for the beef sector under the outgoing RDP is the €300 Million Beef Data and Genomics Programme. In addition to this support, since 2020, over €260 million of additional supports were made available specifically to the beef sector, including the Beef Finishers Payment and BEEP-S in 2020. In addition, the Beef Sector Efficiency Programme with allocation of €45 million which ran in 2021 and has been launched for 2022 recently also with a budget of €45 million. I have also, secured €6m in funding to promote our world-class suckler brand abroad. All of these supports are additional to the more general supports that beef farmers can avail of under the current RDP including ANCs.
As the Deputy will be aware, the proposal for suckler farmers in Ireland's new CAP strategic plan is to continue to provide support to farmers by building on the efficiency gains of the BDGP and the BEEP-S measures through the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme. This important scheme will deliver €150 on the first 10 cows and €120 on remaining cows compared to €90 on the first 10 cows and €0 thereafter on the outgoing BDGP.
I remain committed to supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of the suckler and beef sector. Beef farmers, in addition to being the driving force behind a multi-billion euro sector, are the foundation of local economic activity and rural society.
