Confirmation that eligible young farmers will be paid €81.28 per hectare on top of their Basic Payment and Greening for 2015 has been welcomed by the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU).

YFCU president Roberta Simmons hailed it as an incentive that would attract and keep young farmers in the sector and help to make the holding profitable, thus promoting a generational turnover.

Referring to “minor concerns”, Simmons said that the YFCU plans to work closely with DARD should applicants be unsuccessful for the top-up.

She said that official recognition for young farmers was the dawn of a new era for agriculture here and throughout Europe and claimed it will play a key role in determining the future shape of the industry.