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ROSCOMMON ICSA CALLS FOR REOPENING OF BDGP SCHEME

Apr 19, 2016 | Press Releases | 0 comments

15 April 2016

ICSA Roscommon chairman Ger Grehan is calling on Minister Simon Coveney to reopen the BDGP scheme for suckler cows. “In light of the scheme being undersubscribed by some 4,500 farmers, the Minister should reopen this scheme to give those farmers that didn’t join last year another opportunity to do so. With all the negativity surrounding the scheme when it was first announced a lot of farmers ran scared from it, especially smaller to medium size farmers, arguably the ones most in need of a cash boost”, he said.

Current figures are that there are around 25,500 farmers in the scheme. This suggests that there will be some underspend on the allocated €52 million per annum over the lifetime of the scheme. “It is clear that additional participants could be accommodated to ensure full drawdown of the funding allocated to the BDGP.”  

Continuing, Mr Grehan said “the average size of a suckler herd in Ireland is about 17 to 18 cows. When many of those farmers received their ICBF report most were surprised with the number of four and five star animals in their herds. It will be easier and less costly for those to come up to the 20% number of four and five star ratings required by 2018 and meet their target of reaching 50% of their herd at four and five star ratings by 2020.”

“This, in my view, will be possible because a lot of those farmers don’t have a stock bull and are using AI on their herds. They will not have the added expense of purchasing a five star bull or going out and purchasing expensive four and five star heifers. As regards the six year contract which was a huge stumbling block for many elderly farmers that may fall in to ill-health through back, hip, knee or other ailments, they can get out of the scheme on force majeure grounds without having to repay any monies already received.”

“This scheme needs to be reopened and improved upon. There is already an underspend on quite a number of the various schemes in the Pillar II budget. Rural Ireland is badly in need of a boost at this time.”

ENDS

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