A new €3m grant scheme to help with the legal, advisory and financial services costs incurred by farmers in the drawing up of their farm partnership agreement, was launched by the Minister for Agriculture last week.

The Department recently established a new Register of Farm Partnerships that will cater for partnerships across all of the main agriculture enterprises which follows on from the old Milk Production Partnership Register maintained by Teagasc.

The Department says that already there are more than 850 farm partnerships who have applied to be placed on the new register since it opened in April, with some 550 being former milk production partnerships.

The Scheme is open to all ‘brand new’ farm partnerships who have been placed on the Department’s Register of Farm Partnerships and who have been allocated a Farm Partnership Registration Number (FPRN).

Former Milk Production Partnerships, either in whole or amended format, are not eligible for this Scheme.

Application process
  • The Scheme will be operated in tranches – the first tranche relating to applications received up to the period ending 30 June 2015. The next tranche, which will open in January 2016, will relate to the eligible applications received up to the end of December 2015.
  • During the month of July 2015 Certificates of Registration will issue, via email, to all ‘brand new’ farm partnerships who comply with the requirements for the Register of Farm partnerships and who have been assigned an FPRN.
  • On that email a link will appear directing those who wish to apply for the Collaborative Farming Grant Scheme to an ‘online’ application form.
  • The ‘online’ application must be completed and submitted by 28 August 2015. Copies of the receipts for the legal, advisory and financial services incurred in the drawing up of the Farm Partnership Agreement must also be forwarded, either by email or by post before 28 August 2015. Documents being sent by post should be sent to the address below.
  • The veracity of the payment receipts received will be checked through the relevant professional bodies.

Ranking and selection

All applications received will be subjected to a ranking and selection criteria, according to the Department.

Payment priority will be given to those of higher order in the event of the number of applications exceeding the funding available for the individual tranches.

Applicants must, however, receive at least 45 marks in order to be considered eligible for the grant (see marking below).

Unsuccessful applicants, who fail to receive payment in one tranche, may be considered in subsequent tranches. farm partnership scheme marking

Payment

The payment will be calculated as 50% of vouched cost for each of the legal, advisory and financial services secured in the drawing up of the Farm Partnership Agreement, up to a maximum payment of €2,500.

Payments relating to the first tranche will issue early December 2015.