The Department of Agriculture has opened its Long Established Young Farmers for applications.

The scheme will support farmers who were under the age of 40 in 2015, had commenced in agriculture prior to 2008, but did not receive young farmer installation aid and were not eligible for young farmer supports under the CAP from 2015 due to the date they had first set up in agriculture. They are commonly known as “forgotten farmers”.

Allocated €5m in Budget 2025, payments are to be capped at €5,000 per applicant.

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However, founder of the Forgotten Farmers group, Kenneth O’Brien, estimated over 3,000 farmers were excluded from these young farmer supports and further measures would be needed.

“I thank Minister Charlie McConalogue for recognising it in the Budget but at the end of the day, it’s only a step.

“We’re fighting that [these farmers] get access under TAMS to a 60% fund because we were being locked out of that funding. We’re also looking to be brought up the same as a young farmer on our entitlements.”

Applications

Online applications can be submitted on the AgFood website until 5.30pm on 13 August 2025.

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara said this scheme is a recognition of the injustice these farmers faced.

“Because they began farming ‘too soon’ to qualify under arbitrary CAP cut-off points, they were locked out of supports that their peers received. This anomaly created a totally unfair situation, and it’s only right that we now see a measure to partially redress that.”