Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2022
672. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has plans to introduce a new scheme for farmers who did not qualify for installation aid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61859/22]
View answerIn recognition of the withdrawal of the Installation Aid Scheme in October 2008, and following my Department’s consultation with the EU Commission, the then Minister announced in March 2015 that the group commonly known as ‘Old Young Farmers’, who established their holding between 1st January 2008 and 31st December 2009, and who, due to the timeframe of setting up their holding did not benefit from either the Installation Aid or the Young Farmer category of the National Reserve, could be considered as a ‘group suffering from specific disadvantage’. The result was that this group was eligible to apply under the National Reserve measure of the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme. Successful applicants under this category received an allocation of payment entitlements on land on which they held no entitlements, and a top-up to the national average value on existing entitlements that were below the national average.
Separately, the group commonly known as the ‘Forgotten Farmers’ comprises farmers aged under 40 in 2015, who established their holdings prior to 2008. I have committed to helping the cohort of farmers known as forgotten farmers. The details of the eligibility requirements and benefits to successful applicants for any scheme to support the forgotten farmer group are being finalised. I am committed to supporting this cohort of farmers who find themselves in this situation, in many cases, through no fault of their own. The eligibility requirements and other scheme details will be made available as soon as this process has been completed.
