Fianna Fáil’s Charlie McConalogue has said his party will bring payments to forgotten farmers “up to the national average payment”.

“We have to ensure that they are supported in the farming that they’re carrying out,” he said.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said: “We need to be cognisant of them in the next Rural Development Programme.”

Matt Carthy said that the discretion at European Commission level needs to extend to address such “peculiarities”.