It is understood that a local farmer is to seek a possible judicial review to a decision taken by DAERA to reject them from the young farmers’ payment.

The case relates to an application originally made in 2015, which has now been through the painfully slow two-stage DAERA appeal process. With the independent panel at the second stage appeal upholding the DAERA decision not to allow the application, it has left the young farmer to consider their next step.

They can either go to the NI Public Services Ombudsman (if they believe DAERA had not followed proper procedure) or to court by way of a judicial review (on a point of law).

The crux of the case could centre around an interview conducted by DAERA officials with the applicant. Only a proportion of applicants were invited to attend an interview, with the Department understood to have mainly concentrated on those under 21 years of age, and/or claiming over 150ha of land.

If successful with an application to the young farmer’s payment, an applicant could go straight to the NI average of €330/ha, and also receive the young farmer top-up, worth an additional £49.90/ha on up to 90ha in 2017.

In total, 1,780 applicants were successful in claiming the payment in 2015, another 542 came in during 2016, and around 400 in 2017.

Approximately half of all young farmer claims in the UK, are from NI.

Young farmers’ payment changed again in NI

NI Young Farmers’ rejections drop with new application form