Beef efficiency scheme funding: FOI release

Information requested

1. The total funding for the beef efficiency scheme.
2. The total amount out of that funding which has been paid and is planned to be paid to the farmers.
3. The average amount per calf paid/still to be paid to the farmers.

Response

£40 million was potentially available for the scheme, based on a projected uptake of 70% from Scottish beef farmers. Unfortunately we did not get that amount of uptake from the industry, however, just to be clear, this still represents around 30% of the national breeding herd participating in the scheme'
The majority of participants started their contracts in 2016 and they received their final payments in 2019. For the remaining participants who started their contracts in 2017, this will be their final year of payments. The estimated value for these payments is £245 thousand, and payments commenced on 9 April 2020.
The payments that have been made through the scheme are as follows:
 

	Payments to date
Payments to participants	£12.7 million
Provision of tissue tags for genotyping and carrying out genotyping	£1.7 million
Provision of advisory services including Carbon Audits	£1.2 million
Research, Development and Maintenance of the Beef Efficiency Scheme Database and provision of a helpline to support participants use of the database	£750 thousand

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