Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture, Deputy Claire Kerrane has said that it is “unacceptable” for the ‘forgotten farmers’ to wait a number of months for the scheme approval.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Kerrane urged the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to set out details of his department’s proposed scheme for the so-called ‘forgotten farmers’.
These ‘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.
Deputy Kerrane queried if the minister will provide an update on the plan to provide supports to the forgotten farmers and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The minister said that he recognised that many of these farmers have missed out on supports that were available to others and he wants to ensure they can keep farming.
However, he highlighted that it is a “tricky” issue to navigate and it is “tricky” to find an overall package that will deal with it.
Scheme wait time
When pushed for a time-frame by Deputy Kennane on when the scheme would be ready, Minister McConalogue said “it will take time and that it can not happen quickly”.
“It will be a number of more months but I want to progress it as quickly as I can. I will be meeting my team shortly to sit down and go through exactly how far they have come and how we can step it out in the best time-frame possible.
“That is being done alongside the various schemes being rolled out and the significant pressure there is this year. I can give certainty to the forgotten farmers that this is being dealt with and that we are committed to dealing with it,” McConalogue said.
Deputy Kerrane said she understands it is a “complex” issue and said it is essential the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) gets the details of the scheme right.
She emphasised how “critical” it is setting out right the eligibility requirements.
The TD added: “These farmers have waited far too long for a solution and they are still waiting.
“These are farmers who have already lost out financially, they have been left in limbo for years and they have been put in a really vulnerable position, with many left questioning whether they can hang on any longer.
“Details of the scheme must now be provided without delay.”
The DAFM has said that it has developed a “preliminary outline” of a proposal to provide support to ‘forgotten farmers’.
There are an estimated 4,000 farmers who lost out on vital financial supports due to cuts in public expenditure by the government following the last recession.