The BEEP is a €20 million scheme being piloted in 2019
It has been followed up in Budget 2020 with a €40 million investment in a successor scheme
"I am pleased to announce that my Department has commenced payments to applicants who have completed the weighing and submission of data in respect of all of their eligible animals"
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., announced the commencement of the first payments to applicants under the 2019 Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP).
The BEEP is a €20 million scheme being piloted in 2019 and has been followed up in Budget 2020 with a €40 million investment in a successor scheme.
In a difficult year for beef farmers the €20 million BEEP and €78 million Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM), as well as the €45 million Beef Data and Genomics Program and increased payments under ANC, underline Government’s continued determination to support incomes in the sector.
The Minister said; “I am pleased to announce that my Department has commenced payments to applicants who have completed the weighing and submission of data in respect of all of their eligible animals.
My Department will continue to pay participants who comply in full with the requirements of the Pilot in respect of their animals before the end of the year.
Payments to the value of €2 million have issued to 3,134 farmers, and the data provided under the Pilot will help to improve the environmental and economic performance of suckler herds.
The Minister reiterated his determination to ensure that payments to farmers are prioritised; "Payments will continue as individual cases are cleared, and regular pay runs will be in place over the coming weeks to ensure this.
"Farmers who have been contacted by my Department with queries in relation to their applications should also respond at their earliest convenience in order to facilitate payment."
In conclusion the Minister stated “given the central importance of the many schemes currently in place, my Department has recently written to all farmers outlining the payment schedule over the coming months for these schemes.
"I am committed to ensuring that these payments continue to issue in the most efficient way possible to ensure that these vital supports are delivered to farmers in a timely manner.” ■