It is a requirement of Council Regulation 2079/92 under which the scheme of early retirement from farming is implemented that the minimum size of the holding to be transferred to an eligible transferee is five hectares of utilisable agricultural area.
Currently over 7,000 farmers have availed of the scheme, which is well ahead of the anticipated target at this stage. It is clear that the minimum holding requirement of five hectares of utilisable agricultural area has not had any significant impact on the uptake of the scheme. However, as I have stated in reply to previous similar questions, when the current scheme is being reviewed it is my intention that this matter will be raised with the European Commission.