Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 November 2022
1309. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is a penalty for a farmer participating in the BDGP scheme who is exiting sucklers now on age grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55496/22]
View answerThe Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) formed part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
It provided for funding of up to €300 million over the six-year programme and addressed widely acknowledged weaknesses in the maternal genetics of the Irish suckler herd, made a positive contribution to farmer profitability and reduced the greenhouse gas intensity of Ireland’s beef production.
The original BDGP programme completed in 2020 with one-year transitional schemes continuing in 2021 and 2022 pending the introduction of the new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) in 2023. A second tranche of BDGP (BDGP II) was initiated in 2017 and comes to an end this year.
BDGP I & II provide for annual payments to participating farmers for completion of defined actions as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the scheme.
Participating farmers agreed to this 6-year commitment when they applied for the schemes and they agreed that should they not fully complete the six-years any monies paid as part of the scheme would be recouped.
It represented a significant commitment for participants over the duration of the programmes and it was inevitable that some participants would seek to withdraw at some stage for a variety of reasons and in the majority of such cases full recoupment of monies paid took place.
However, a number of withdrawals each year were due to reasons such as ill health or incapacitation as a result of injury or old age and in such cases, where it was deemed appropriate, Force Majeure as provided for by EU Regulations and in the Terms and Conditions of the Programmes, was applied with no recoupment of monies paid out under the programme.
If someone wishes to have a withdrawal from the programme without recoupment considered under Force Majeure they can make such a request in writing to the Beef Schemes Section of my Department in Portlaoise, remembering to include any evidence or documentation, including submissions from a medical professional, as part of their request.
