The 5% reduction requirement in the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is a hot topic of conversation in a lot of mart sales at present. Payments to the 34,517 farmers (9,295 suckler farmers, 10,245 finishers and 14,977 mixed farms) were made in December 2019, and for a lot of farmers, there has been little heed paid to the requirements since.

It is only now that the scheme requirements have kicked in that more interest is being shown. To recap on the requirements – holdings must reduce their bovine livestock manure nitrogen by 5% for the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, compared with the period 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, as recorded on Department systems.

Some farmers will opt to reduce numbers across the entire period, others may reduce numbers drastically for a short period

Mart managers report that there is confusion among farmers, with some thinking they have to reduce the total number of animals they possessed each month during the reference period, rather than their overall nitrogen volume by 5%. This is not the case and the calculation will take place across the 12 month period. Some farmers will opt to reduce numbers across the entire period, others may reduce numbers drastically for a short period, while some may opt to reduce the number of older cattle they have on hand and replace these with younger cattle that have a lower nitrogen output (see Table 1).

There have also been questions in recent weeks regarding if farmers who signed up to the BEAM scheme can still export slurry. This will still be allowed, but farmers will only be able to count volumes exported in recent years and will not be able to forego the stocking rate reduction requirement by exporting a higher volume of slurry.

The scheme does not interfere with other livestock

Another question raised is whether the scheme cross references other livestock on the farm, such as sheep. The scheme does not interfere with other livestock and does not limit farmers increasing numbers of other stock types on their farm.

Failure to adhere to the stocking rate reduction will lead to a recoupment of the money already paid to farmers.