Some 24,459 farmers had applied to the €100m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) by Thursday evening, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson said.

This is an increase of over 3,118 farmers since Tuesday evening, where application tallies stood at 21,341.

County by county application breakdown

Galway farmers have submitted the greatest number of applications, with 2,672 entries coming from the county.

In contrast, Dublin had just 69 applications submitted.

Suckler and finisher enterprises lead the way with 10,912 applications received, while suckler-only farms have presented the least with 5,690.

The online application process opened on 19 August and had originally been set to close on Sunday 8 September.

The deadline has since been pushed back to midnight on Sunday 15 September.

With the scheme open to 70,000 farmers, 45,541 are yet to apply.

Appeals

As per the terms and conditions of the scheme, in cases where an applicant is deemed ineligible to participate, they will be given 10 working days after the closing date for receipt of valid applications.

Any request should clearly set out the grounds for a review and should be accompanied by supporting documentation, where appropriate.

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