A €5m National Reserve has officially been opened by the Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed announced the opening of the online system for submission of applications to both the National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme in 2017.

To be eligible, only applicants who have received a necessary qualification can apply.

This means that an applicant needs to have completed at least a Level 6 Green Cert by 15 May 2017 in order to apply.

There was no funding for a National Reserve last year due to a lack of funding.

However, money has been found following a linear cut to the value of all Basic Payment Scheme entitlements.

It should cater for almost 1,000 farmers from two categories: new entrants and farmers under 40.

The Young Farmers Scheme is a separate scheme with just over €24m in funding available each year from 2015 to 2019. The scheme provides an additional payment to successful applicants per activated entitlement.

Announcing the opening of applications, Minister Creed said: “The National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme are key measures in encouraging and facilitating the entrance of young, well educated persons into the farming sector”.

4,700 GLAS payments outstanding

Some 365 farmers received GLAS payments in the past week, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.

The payment run, issued last Friday, amounted to €1.25m in total and was paid to farmers in GLAS I and GLAS II.

This latest payment run brings the number of farmers waiting for payment to 4,729 and another payment run is expected to be made on Thursday or Friday of this week.

The GLAS scheme is worth almost €113m to 38,000 farmers, but the 4,729 farmers still waiting as the Irish Farmers Journal went to press still have not received any of their first 85% payment.