STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Agriculture Minister Charlie McConologue (left) and Cllr Paul Ross (right)
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConologue is coming under renewed focus to reintroduce a State funded scheme to assist hard pressed farmers.
Fine Gael Cllr Paul Ross raised the prospect of bringing back the Beef Finisher Payment Scheme which was first ushered in in June 2020.
The scheme was a one off, exchequer funded grant aid scheme under the Covid19 State Aid Temporary Framework with funding totalling €50m.
The objective of the BFP Scheme was to provide support for beef finishing farms in Ireland which have been severely impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cllr Ross said there was an ever increasing need for hard pressed farmers who have seen beef prices collapse since the summer to be supported by the reintroduction of the scheme.
Cllr Ross explained that prices have fallen by over €300 a head since May with prices falling every week and no one shouting stop.
“This has led to farmers who have already had a very difficult summer due to weather conditions now facing serious losses heading into peak autumn finishing period. This beef scheme was very successful in the past and had no caveats and this exchequer funded payment had previously given €100 per beef animal finished.”
A farmer himself, Cllr Ross said the crisis facing the industry required some form of government intervention.
“We are back to where we were a number of years ago,” he said.
“That scheme at the time had no caveats and was exchequer funded. I think it’s time to call it back.”
His party colleague Cllr Paraic Brady said the financial restrictions was punitive and underlined the monopoly small scale farmers continued to face.
“It just shows you the cartel that runs the beef sector are still in control and can do what they want,” he said.
“Beef was bought fair in the spring and now they are just going to punish farmers for what they bought.”
Fianna Fáil’s PJ Reilly was equally vocal, saying the pressures confronting small scale holdings was abundantly clear.
“Farmers are taking a serious cut and beef is back at least 80c a kilo since this time last year,” he said.
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