After a week of rows over the new suckler scheme, the Minister for Agriculture has moved to address farmer concerns.

Following a heated and frank high-level meeting on Wednesday morning between Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, Department secretary general Aidan O’Driscoll and senior figures in the IFA, Minister Coveney has moved to clarify some of the more contentious issues.

In relation to the Department clawing back funds already paid to farmers, Minister Coveney said: “I want to make it clear that there is no question whatsoever of payments being clawed back for minor non-compliances. Where data collected is not 100% complete, where there is a minor shortfall in genotyping, where the there is a minor shortfall in heifer replacements … penalties relate to that portion of the payment only.”

The Minister confirmed that if a farmer is forced to leave the suckler sector through illness, death or animal disease then no clawbacks will be imposed. Land can be transferred or gifted to a relative without penalty once the BDGP contract is continued.

However, the minister said there would no change on the six-year contract as it was a key component of getting funding approval from the European Commission.

2014 will remain as a reference year. However, new entrants or applicants affected by force majeure can use 2015 as a base year.

The move by the Department comes in the wake of three regional information meetings hosted by the IFA – in counties Leitrim, Mayo and Wexford.

With over 1,500 having attended the meetings and the majority of those having voiced major concerns with BDGP, pressure was on the Department to offer clarity.

Henry Burns said IFA had worked very hard to get the €52m funding for the scheme and was determined that farmers will get the benefit of this. He added the minister reiterated his absolute commitment to delivering all payments under this year’s scheme in December, saying the Department “needs to get €50m paid out before the end of the year”.

The Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) was launched three weeks ago to almost unanimous acclaim. A €52m per annum scheme aimed at delivering €95/cow on each of the first 10 calved cows in a suckler herd, the payment then reduces to €80 per calved on each of the subsequent cows in the herd.

At time of print, 6,150 farmers had applied for the scheme with less than 10 days to go before the deadline closes.

The Department received some 5,000 applications in the five days of last week but applications have slowed somewhat since then. Deadline for application is Friday, 29 May with the Department hopeful of getting 35,000 herds into the scheme.