Vol. 476 No. 5
248 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason the farm retirement scheme is confined to farmers who have 50 per cent of their income from farming over ten years; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this is mitigating against land being released to younger farmers; if he will alter this condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7655/97]
It is a requirement of Regulation 2079/92, under which the scheme of early retirement from farming is implemented, that the applicants have practised farming as a main occupation for the proceeding ten years. To meet this criterion at least 50 per cent of income and working time must be attributable to farming. With nearly 6,000 farmers in the scheme, well ahead of the anticipated uptake, it is clear that the full-time farming requirement has not had any adverse effect on participation.
