To be eligible for aid under the scheme of installation aid, an applicant must be deemed to have at least one man work unit on the date of set up in farming or within two years of that date. Land farmed must be either owned or leased for a minimum period of five years from the date of set up. Where an applicant farms land on any other basis, a pro rata reduction is made in determining the man work unit number.
In this case, while certain lands were farmed by the applicant, these lands were neither owned nor leased by him. Consequently, the reduction calculation came into play in the determination of the man work units and resulted in the application being ineligible for aid.
While I appreciate the difficult circumstances, the terms and conditions of this co-funded scheme are based on EU legislation, are very specific in regard to requirements and have no provision for discretion.