Farmers can now access a new one-stop guide to the grants, supports, schemes and services available throughout their farming lives.

Produced by the Citizens Information Board and Teagasc, the guide covers every stage of farming life - from education and training to grants, social welfare, tax, farm business management, succession planning, and retirement.

It also sets out key responsibilities for farmers as both business owners and employers.

Information

According to the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, farmers need clear, reliable and accessible information to help them make decisions at every stage of their farming lives.

"The updated Supports for Farmers guide is an excellent resource, bringing together information on grants, schemes, social welfare supports and succession planning in one place," the minister said.

Meanwhile CEO of the Citizens Information Board, Graham Long also believes the guide will assist farmers to access the supports and services available to them.

Guide

The comprehensive 40-page guide covers the entire career of a farmer, recommended to anyone who is:

Thinking about becoming a farmer;
Farming already;
Planning to retire from farming.

Advice includes information on available student and training resources for every stage of learning; from absolute beginners to farmers deep into their careers who are hoping to upskill or modernise.

Information on apprenticeships, grant schemes and food industry development training is also included.

Also for students, the guide discusses accommodation tax breaks and student grants, including Teagasc-specific ones.

For farmers early in their careers, the guide will provide know-how on Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF).

Also useful for this stage in an agri-career, readers will learn how to get an official herd number; information on the Young Trained Farmer Relief, and more.

The Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) is the main income subsidy for farmers, and this guide will provide an introduction to the scheme and details on where to find more information.

Other resources

Other resources outlined in the guide include the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS); the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC) and the Protein Aid Scheme, among others.

Social resources, such as welfare and jobseeker's benefits and allowances are also discussed.

Health and safety, taxation and farming with a partner or spouse are covered in the guide, too.

Finally, for farmers deeper in their career, the guide has a chapter on succession planning, pensions, and passing down (or inheriting) a farm.

Throughout the guide, overviews are complemented by links to Citizens Information or Teagasc pages for further information.

The Supports for Farmers guide is available now to download on the Teagasc website.