The Irish Farmers Journal understands that up to 8,000 farmers out of the 34,500 applicants to BEAM will not meet the 5% nitrogen reduction target unless drastic action is taken in the next six months.

The average payment made under the scheme was €2,265 per farm. This would mean a total of €18.1m would have to be repaid to the Department of Agriculture. Widespread confusion still exists among BEAM applicants in relation to reducing stock numbers.

Under the terms of the scheme, farmers must reduce the bovine nitrogen produced on their holding by 5% for the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021. This is compared to the bovine nitrogen produced on the holding between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019.

With many farmers failing to reduce stock numbers for the first six months of the reference period, this reduction will now turn to a 10% reduction for the remaining months.

Farmers need to take account of this in calculations as animals change categories in the next four months

One issue that is adding to the confusion is the fact that when an animal crosses categories from zero- to one-year-old to one- to two-year-old, the amount of nitrogen increases from 24kg to 57kg annually.

Farmers need to take account of this in calculations as animals change categories in the next four months.

The ICBF has developed an online calculator to help with this, which can be accessed via the HerdPlus section on the ICBF website.

Concern

A number of agricultural advisers across the country have expressed concern about their clients’ ability to reduce stock numbers in the next six months and, more importantly, their ability to repay the money later this year.

The other concern is that beef finishers won’t be as eager for stock around mart rings in spring. Farmers selling stock to reduce numbers will have no option but to sell their animals so it could have a negative impact on the spring cattle trade.

ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham has called for the 5% reduction to be scrapped and called it “unworkable”.