An urgent meeting on the status of the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill, has been sought by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) with Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Jim Daly.

Having written to the minister on the matter, IFA president Joe Healy said: “The Government approved the proposal to introduce a three-year cap on productive assets where a family member commits to working the asset in July 2018.

“However, 18 months later we are still waiting for the bill to be drafted,” he added.

The president said the bill must be published as a matter of urgency and introduced in the Oireachtas during this session.

Caroline Farrell, IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Committee chair, said that farm families have been waiting too long for this amendment and with each passing month the viability of family farms is being undermined.

“The Government must give a commitment to backdate the proposed three-year cap to July 2018 when it was approved by the Government and agree to pay back contributions to the cost of care to all farmers that satisfy the three-year cap as of that date.”

Farm families must not be financially penalised as a result of delays in the legislative drafting process, Farrell stressed.