Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2016
1001. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he determines the date of set-up under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 young farmers' capital investment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9637/16]
View answerFor the purposes of the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme in TAMS II, Regulation 1305/2013 Article 2 (1)(n) defines “young farmer” as follows: “Means a person who is not more than 40 years of age at the moment of submitting the application, possesses adequate occupational skills and competence and is setting up for the first time in an agricultural holding as head of that holding”.
In order to ensure that as many young farmers as possible could benefit from the enhanced grant rate of 60% my Department successfully made the case to the Commission to accept applications from young farmers who commenced farming during the five years preceding the date of application. Under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme, to meet the eligibility criteria, farmers must meet the requirements of set-up for the first time within five years of the date of receipt of an application under this scheme. The date of set-up is defined as the date an applicant first applied for a herd number or other Department identifier.
