Pádraic McCormack
Question:333 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the position regarding rented (conacre) or leased land when calculating labour unit and eligibility for installation grant aid.
Written Answers. - Installation Grant Aid.
Pádraic McCormack
Question:334 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the way in which a labour unit is determined for installation aid for young farmers; whether it is by reference to stocktillage on farm on the date the transfer documents are signed by both parties initially with solicitor, the date the deed of tranfer is stamped by revenue, the average stock numbers over a period or an annual average; and if so, the period used.
Pádraic McCormack
Question:335 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the precise date on which applications for installation aid for young farmers becomes official; whether it is the date on which the transfer documents are signed by both parties initially with the solicitor; the date on which the transfer is completed; the date the deed of transfer is stamped by Revenue or another date.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 333, 334 and 335 together.
Applicants are assessed for installation aid on the basis of the date of setting up or installation. In the case of a full-time farmer, the appropriate date is that on which the transfer documents are signed. Where the applicant is a part-time farmer, the appropriate date for assessment is the date on which he/she sets up as a full-time farmer.
Under the scheme of installation aid for young farmers, the Labour Unit (MWU) for the holding is calculated on the basis of a standard man year of 2,100 hours. Each enterprise on the holding is allocated a number of standard man days. The total man days for the holding is then divided by 225 standard man days in a standard man year, to give the Man Work Unit (MWU) requirement for the holding. Applicants for installation aid have two years from the date of setting up to attain the appropriate MWU. Calculation of the MWU is carried out on the basis of the production year immediately preceding setting-up.
All lands farmed by the applicant whether in full ownership, by lease or conacre are taken into account when calculating the MWU of the total farm enterprise. However, only land owned or held on long term lease, minimum six years, can be included for determining eligibility for installation aid purposes. Thus where conacre or land held on short term lease is involved a pro-rata calculation is done to establish the appropriate MWU.