Macra is calling on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to clarify when the issue of the forgotten farmers will be resolved.
The group of farmers lost out following the removal of young farmer supports under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), such as installation aid, due to cuts in public expenditure by the government following the last recession.
Minister McConalogue previously said that he remains “committed to supporting” the forgotten farmers group and that he has “long supported” them.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has developed a preliminary outline of a proposal to provide support to the farmers.
The department has been working on addressing a number of issues since early 2023, such as funding before eligibility requirements and benefits to successful applicants under the scheme can be finalised.
Forgotten farmers
Macra national president Elaine Houlihan said that Minister McConalogue needs to honour his promise that these farmers receive the support that they have missed out on.
“It is now nearly sixteen years since some of these farmers started out in their farming careers, and it is simply not good enough that the mistakes around the removal of CAP supports have not been rectified.
“We received assurances from the minister back in October 2022 at our national conference and again at our 2023 conference that the forgotten farmers issue will not be left unresolved and that a scheme was forthcoming, we still await that scheme,” she said.
Chair of Macra’s Agricultural Affairs committee Liam Hanrahan added: “Macra has consistently raised the plight of the forgotten farmers over the years with the issue outlined in the Programme for Government.
“We have had too many false dawns on delivering for forgotten farmers, now the minister needs to deliver on his promise.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, Claire Kerrane has also called on Minister McConalogue to bring forward a solution for the group without delay.
“Details of a proposed scheme were supposed to be announced in the first quarter of 2023, but there is still no sign of a solution being brought forward,” she said.
The Roscommon–Galway TD raised the issue with the minister before the Dáil went into recess.
“The intended timeline of details of a scheme being unveiled is now almost a year late, which I find to be incredible.
“As I have said before, these delays can only be a further source of frustration for these farmers, who have already waited far too long for a solution.
“At the very least the minister should bring forward details of the proposed scheme for Forgotten Farmers this month when the Dáil reconvenes, and to provide a concrete timeline for implementation of a solution for these farmers,” Deputy Kerrane said.