Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
1758. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers from County Mayo who are affected, through no fault of their own, as the forgotten farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63298/22]
View answerI am committed to delivering a support package for the cohort of farmers who are known as the Forgotten Farmers. Many of these farmers find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own.
It is not possible to determine the number of farmers in County Mayo who meet the requirements to be considered under the proposed scheme to address the issue of forgotten farmers. Information such as the number of potential applicants under the scheme who would hold the required agricultural educational qualification at Level 6 or equivalent on the National Framework of Qualifications is not held by my Department.
Any scheme would be demand led, and until such time as all applications were assessed against the final agreed eligibility criteria, it would not be possible to determine the number of farmers from County Mayo who can be regarded as falling under the category known as forgotten farmer.
