Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2013
576. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers in the beef technology scheme in 2012; the number that have been paid for 2012; the number that have not been paid; the reasons they have not been paid; the number rejected on the basis of not carrying out the BVD test in time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23893/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Food Harvest 2020, ambitious development targets were set for a number of agricultural sectors, including the beef sector. In this context, €5m of Exchequer funding was made available in 2012 for the establishment of a Beef Technology Adoption Programme (BTAP) to encourage the adoption of best management practice on beef farms.
In order to qualify for the 2012 Beef Technology Adoption Programme, applicants were required to have satisfied one of the following criteria:
- Farmers with suckler cows must be current participants in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme (AWRBS), that is, they must have received payments under the Scheme on 2010 born calves and have applied to participate in ICBF HerdPlus prior to applying for the Programme.
- Beef farmers without a suckler herd must have applied to participate in ICBF HerdPlus prior to applying for the Programme. Any farmer finishing animals to slaughter must have applied for membership of the Beef Quality Assurance Scheme (BQAS) before the application date for this Programme and must be a member of the scheme by 31 October 2012. He/she must also have finished a minimum of 15 cattle to slaughter in 2011.
Nationally, 5,685 applicants satisfied the entry requirements, In addition to the entry criteria, however, applicants were also required to attend a minimum of five Discussion group meetings/approved National Events, and successfully complete two Tasks, selected from a menu of eight Tasks. Eligibility for payment required that participants be confirmed as having attended the required minimum number of meetings and to have completed their chosen two Tasks; to date a total of 4,809 participants have been paid. All unpaid cases are being reviewed and, where eligibility is confirmed, payment will issue; those confirmed as unsuccessful will be advised accordingly, in writing. In common with all Schemes/Programmes operated by my Department, those who are found to be unsuccessful will be afforded the right of appeal.
Regarding Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) testing, this activity arises in the context of one of the tasks related to the completion of a herd health plan in consultation with a veterinary practitioner. Participants who chose that task were required to join the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme, a condition of which was that herd owners had to submit tissue samples from all calves born on their holdings in 2012 to one of a number of designated laboratories. Task completion was verified by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) which maintains a database of laboratory results on behalf of Animal Health Ireland. Information received from ICBF indicated that 66 participants did not sample any animal born in 2012 and thereby failed the Task.
