Brian O'Shea
Question:62 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food her proposals to promote off-farm employment among the agricultural community; and the number of part-time farmers at present. [24497/04]
View answerWednesday, 13 October 2004
Questions (61)
Written answers
Part-time farming combined with an off-farm job is an increasingly common means of ensuring a good standard of living for many small scale producers. It also assists in balanced regional development. CSO data for 2002 show that 57,500 farmers or 42% had another either major or subsidiary occupation.
My Department has taken a number of actions to facilitate off-farm employment and ensure that these farmers have access to agricultural schemes on the same basis as full-time farmers. Such access was made easier by devising a common system of income units. For instance, part-time farmers are allowed to use on-farm and off-farm income to meet the minimum viability thresholds for on-farm investment grants and installation aid. To facilitate farm transfers to part-time farmers the early retirement scheme, introduced in 2000, allows for participation by part-time farmers as transferors and transferees and the enlargement clause was removed.
The REPS scheme and the new decoupled single farm payment are particularly suited to farmers who wish to engage in off-farm employment. The rural viability services offered by Teagasc contributes to meeting the needs of part-time farmers and identifying methods of boosting their household incomes. Programmes such as Leader have also encouraged the development of off-farm local enterprises.
A key policy of this Government has been to create and sustain an economic environment where employment can flourish. The availability of off-farm jobs in the local economy is extremely important for farmers and all rural dwellers. It is the key to their remaining in and contributing to the development of rural communities.