Michael Creed
Question:247 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the specific criteria regarding age relating to an entitlement to join the farm retirement scheme. [14012/01]
Written Answers - Farm Retirement Scheme.
To be eligible under the scheme of early retirement, the farmer who is retiring must be between his or her 55th and 66th birthdays on the date a completed application is received in my Department. As regards the transferee, that is, the young farmer who is taking over the holding, the age criteria will change between now and 2006. For applications received in 2001, prospective transferees must be between their 18th and 45th birthdays on the date a completed application is received. The ceiling will come down by one year in each subsequent year until 2006, when transferees must be between their 18th and 40th birthdays.