A member of the Seanad is calling on Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys to launch a public information campaign to highlight the Farm Assist Scheme to low-income farmers.
Senator Victor Boyhan has written to Minister Humphreys asking for a renewed information campaign for the scheme.
Boyhan told the minister: “I am pushing an open door with your department officials to support my call for a renewed and fresh campaign to get the message out about farm assist”.
He said that, in recent months, he noticed a “sharp rise” in queries to his office concerning “financial stress and hardship facing small farmers in particular”.
“It has become very clear that many farmers on low incomes are unaware of the benefits of the Farm Assist Scheme and how it could assist them,” Boyhan said.
He told Minister Humphreys that navigation of the scheme should be simple and assessable for farmers, saying that these issues were “another concern for those that I have directed to the scheme”.
He said he would welcome the minister’s feedback on a potential renewed information campaign.
Humphreys called to increase labor rate
This call from Senator Boyhan is not the first occasion this week in which Minister Humphreys was called to take action on an issue.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has called on the minister to increase the labour rate for farmers that maintain rural walks.
The IFA’s comments follow the announcement that funding for €2.4 million will be used to develop 70 new walking trails nationwide over the next two years.
The Department of Rural and Community Development has said that it will aim to work with over 2,500 farmers as the number of walking trails will increase from 80 of 150 in total to boost outdoor recreation and rural tourism.
IFA National Hill Farming Committee chairperson Caillin Conneely has welcomed the expansion of the walks scheme.
He said that Minister Humphreys must ensure that the labour rate for farmers who maintain the walks is also increased in line with revised Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) costings.