The Department has written out to 1,000 of the 6,500 young farmers and new entrants who did not send in all the information with their National Reserve application. Many have not replied so the Department is starting to send out second letters where no information has been submitted.

The main documents missing are education or the verification that they were under the €40,000 income limit in 2013 or 2014. The Department will send out one more reminder to farmers giving them a cut-off date, after which their application will be cancelled.

The Department is also due to start writing out to applicants who have submitted rented or leased land to establish entitlements from the National Reserve. They are looking for evidence that there is a rental agreement or lease agreement in place. They will also look for verification that the land has been paid for and also if animals owned by the young farmer are available to graze the land. Where a tillage crop has been grown, they will look for evidence that the inputs were purchased in the farmer’s name and that a crop was harvested and sold.

The Department is also writing to farmers who have transferred entitlements in 2015. The transfer could be by gift or inheritance and also where a private contract clause was used. The farmers on both sides of the transaction will get a letter outlining the successful transfer once it has been processed.