Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
955. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of cow and calf pairs, per applicant, on which payments were made under the BEEP scheme in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27714/23]
View answerThe objective of Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme - Suckler (BEEP-S) is to further increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd though improvement in the quantity and quality of performance data that is collected. This is done through the enhancement of the national herd dataset for genetic evaluations, with a view to supporting the adoption of best practice and more informed decision making at farm level.
BEEP - S targets the weaning efficiency of suckler cows and calves through the collection of the live weights of cows and progeny in the herd of each participant; improving the welfare of suckler calves at the time of weaning through vaccination and meal feeding; and controlling liver fluke in adult suckler cows.
A total of 24,644 applicants received payment under BEEP-S in 2022. They weighed a total of 506,613 cow - calf pairs and the average number of pairs weighed was 20.56 per applicant.
