“Macra na Feirme takes full credit for identifying the mechanism for funding of the 2017 National Reserve through the reallocation of unused young farmer top-up funds and we worked very closely with all stakeholders to secure its opening in 2017. The National Reserve is vital to give young farmers and new entrants the CAP payments they require and need,” he said.

The reserve is back this year with a fund of €5m following a linear cut to the value of all Basic Payment Scheme entitlements, and online applications opened on Wednesday.

It will be allocating new entitlements and entitlement top-ups for two categories of farmers by priority:

  • Young farmers: BPS applicants under 40 years old in 2017 who started farming in the last five years.
  • New entrants to farming: BPS applicants who started farming since 1 January 2015 and did not farm in their own name previously.
  • ’Older’ young farmers

    Finan added that it is unfortunate and disappointing that there is still a cohort of “older” young farmers and a group of new-entrant parent partnership farmers who are young farmers under 40 with low value or no payment and are not eligible for the National Reserve.

    “We reiterate previous calls for Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to honour the programme for Government commitment to seek recognition for the older young farmer group in Brussels as a group with specific disadvantage.

    “These two distinct groups of young farmers need certainty and deserve to know once and for all if they are going to be recognized or not. We are calling on Minister Creed to clarify the situation as a matter of urgency and this will give the young farmers involved certainty and allow them plan for their futures,” he said.

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