The Irish Farmers Journal has obtained what is likely to be the final draft of the terms and conditions for the new Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP). The scheme will run from 2015 until 2020 and farmers must sign up to comply with seven key regulations for the full six years.

Farmers are likely to be paid a payment of €95/cow on the first 10 cows in the herd with the payment falling to €80 for each of the subsequent cavled cows.

To be eligible to apply for the scheme an applicant must be:

• 18 years or over;

• Be the holder of an active herd number or applied for a herd number by the closing date for receipt of applications for new entrant status;

• Have a 2014 Single Farmer Payment application submitted on which all land parcels are declared;

• Be farming a holding in respect of which a valid Basic Payment Scheme is submitted to the Department of Agriculture;

• Have beef bred animals born in the herd between January 2014 and 31 December 2020;

• Have all animals tested for BVD within 20 days of birth.

The terms and conditions state that applicants will be ineligible where persistently infected (PI) BVD animals born since January 2012 have not beef removed from the herd. If ongoing BVD regulations are not complied with on an ongoing basis applicants will not be eligible for payment in the subsequent year.

Are you eligible for the new suckler scheme?

With the details of the new suckler cow support scheme to be launched shortly, the Irish Farmers Journal lines out the eligiblity criteria for the scheme.