€730,650 for suckler cow farmers in Clare

Clare Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy has received confirmation that 2,141 suckler cow farmers in County Clare have in recent weeks received payments totalling €730,650 under the Beef Data Programme.

Senator Mulcahy, who requested the figure from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, confirmed that a further payment run is due during the coming weeks.

The Beef Data Programme assists farmers in improving the genetic quality of their livestock, while maintaining a flow of crucial data to Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF). In addition, a further €23 million of National Exchequer funding has been provided for the Beef Genomics Scheme (BGS) 2014. 

Nationally, some €10 million has been provided from Single Farm Payment Scheme (SPS) unused funds for the Beef Data Programme (BDP) for animals born during 2013 and a similar level of funding from unused SPS funds is provided for animals born during 2014. 

"Minister Coveney has informed me that a further payment run will be made during August but until the remaining herds/animals are validated, future payment figures have not yet been determined," explained Senator Mulcahy.

He continued: "The suckler herd is the seed bed for a quality beef industry involving many hundreds of Clare farm families and employing many more in processing, sales and marketing, and driving national exports valued at approximately €1.8 billion per annum. The Beef Data Programme in conjunction with the Beef Genomics Scheme increases the breeding data available and harnesses technology in a way that improves efficiency and ultimately profitability at farm level."
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