The Minister for Agriculture is denying young farmers access to CAP payments, according to Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue.

The criteria needed to access direct payments under the 2017 National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme (YFS) were changed recently. Young farmers must now have completed the Green Cert before they can apply for funding.

“Member states have flexibility in defining the eligibility criteria for young farmers, and the minister’s decision to change the educational requirements is questionable, as it only serves to exclude young farmers from important funding streams,” McConalogue said. “I am calling on him to ensure that those who are currently enrolled in agriculture courses are included and to extend the upcoming deadline for those in this situation to facilitate them in making applications.”

According to Fianna Fáil, the changes in the criteria are “severely limiting” applications.

While the Department of Agriculture previously accepted applicants into the National Reserve and YFS as long as they had begun the Green Cert, the new terms and conditions state that they “must have successfully completed an agricultural qualification at FETAC Level 6 or its equivalent by 15 May 2017”.

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Green Cert students shut out of National Reserve