Funding worth €5 million for the group known as the ‘forgotten farmers’ has been announced by government as part of Budget 2025 in the Dáil today (Tuesday, October 1).
There are an estimated 3,500 farmers who lost out on vital farmer supports due to cuts in public expenditure by the government following the last recession.
The forgotten farmers had typically set up their agricultural holdings before 2008 and were under 40 in 2015 but did not qualify for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports as had other young farmers at that time.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue in June confirmed that he would seek funding for a scheme to support the forgotten farmers in Budget 2025.
Budget 2025
Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe today announced that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will receive over €2 billion in funding for 2025.
While the Budget 2025 Expenditure Report lists the forgotten farmers as a selected measure enabled by additional funding for 2025, no further details are available to date.
The €5 million funding is listed in the report under farm/forestry sector supports and controls, which also includes €30 million in support for the tillage sector, and €35 million for beef, dairy sheep schemes.
Forgotten farmers
Minister McConalogue recently told the Dáil that a “lot of the preparatory work has been completed” in relation to a potential scheme for the forgotten farmers group.
Last week, Macra called on the minister to put in place the “necessary funding” in Budget 2025 which it said represented the “last chance saloon” for the forgotten farmers.
The organisation welcomed the funding announcement of €5 million and described it as a “positive first step”. Commenting on the funding, Macra national president, Elaine Houlihan said:
“Macra has for years campaigned on the forgotten farmers. We are glad to see a financial commitment for this group of farmers. The key thing now is that the minister follows through on it.
“The government and the minister for agriculture committed to resolving this issue over the government’s lifetime. We need the scheme details announced and potentially additional resources so we can draw a line under this long running hardship issue for the farmers in question.”