Referring to the publication of the new program for government, Independent MEP Marian Harkin said that Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed needed to urgently apply to the European Commission for recognition of the ‘Forgotten Farmers’ so that they can access the National Reserve Scheme in the same way that ‘Old Young Farmers’ are currently provided for.

She said:- “There are many good aspects to the new program for government such as providing access to the National Reserve for this group of farmers who failed to qualify for the Young Farmers Scheme under the CAP, the National Reserve and the TAMs scheme.
“However, that being said, Minister Creed needs to urgently act on this commitment as a matter of priority and seek recognition from the European Commission in the coming week.
“For far too long this cohort of young farmers were excluded from the National Reserve on arbitrary grounds. I believe that it is essential that all our young farmers are given the same opportunities and supports, especially those who are on low levels of entitlements.
“Currently, only 7% of Irish farmers are under the age of 35 compared to 45% over the age of 55. If we want to continue to develop our agriculture sector then we need to attract young committed people into it. In order to achieve this growth, there must be adequate supports such as the National Reserve in place.

“The Department of Agriculture has estimated that the cost to include these 3,900 farmers will be just over €12 million. Considering the importance of our agriculture sector to the economy, and more generally in our rural communities, I believe this is a very small price to pay. As well as that, if these young farmers decided to leave the sector and go on social welfare payments then €12 million would not go very far.

“I have sent a letter today to Minister Creed outing this position and calling for swift action to be taken in order to ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of funds”, Marian Harkin concluded.

Note:
The “Forgotten Farmer” is a cohort of farmers who are under the age of 40, who established their holdings prior to 2008 and who hold low value entitlements but are excluded from accessing funds from the Young Farmers Scheme in pillar 1 of the CAP, the National Reserve and TAMs scheme because they do not meet the criteria of a 'young farmer' under EU regulations.