Call for more time to apply for 'forgotten farmers' scheme

Agriland

4 days ago

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is calling for a more 'ambitious' for Long-Established Young Farmers scheme with an extension to the timeframe within which farmers can apply.
Late last month, it was announced that following the survey carried out in May 2025, the scheme to support Long Established Young Farmers – commonly referred to as 'forgotten farmers' – is open for submission of online applications.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) was allocated €5 million in Budget 2025 to provide support to this group. Applicants can avail of a payment of up to €5,000 (depending on application numbers).
'Forgotten farmers' is a group defined as young farmers who were under the age of 40 in 2015, had commenced in agriculture prior to 2008, did not receive young farmer installation aid, and were not eligible for young farmer supports under Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from 2015 due to the date they had first set up.
IFA Rural Development chair John Curran said: 'After years in the making and countless political promises to finally support 'forgotten farmers', we've a scheme on the table that falls far short of expectations and will again exclude many farmers from necessary support.
"Our regional offices are getting calls daily from frustrated farmers, with complaints over those excluded; the short window to apply; and small potential payment etc.
"We've looked for a meeting with the [agriculture] minister to try get some resolution here. Our view is clear. Commitments made in Budget 2025 for increased funding allocations will need to be honoured.
"A more ambitious Long Established Young Farmer scheme has to be delivered that caters for all eligible farmers, including those starting out in 2008 and thereafter.
John Curran IFA National Rural Development Committee chair
"The support must be at least equivalent to what they would have received under the installation aid,' Curran said.
The IFA has said that the three-week application window - which ends next Wednesday, August 13 - to secure necessary documentation and submit online, during the holiday season, is also far too tight.
The association has stressed that farmers are finding it difficult to get queries addressed and assemble the required supporting documentation (e.g., educational qualifications) to accompany applications.
"This must be extended to a more realistic timeframe,' Curran said.
The IFA is not the only farm organisation that is calling for an extension to the forgotten farmers scheme.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Scheme (ICMSA) has said the closing date for the scheme should be extended to the end of September.
According to Eamon Carroll, the association's deputy president, it is "proving near impossible" for affected farmers to get their paperwork together within too tight a timeframe.
"There are numerous instances where farmers who are trying to apply for the scheme can't contact their advisors who are on normal holidays," Carroll said.
"Even more frustrating are the cases where farmers are trying to attain their relevant records from their agriculture college [which] are closed over the summer.
"It would surely make more sense for the application deadline to be pushed to at least September 30 when normal administration resumes, and it would be that much easier to access the records and information that the department itself is insisting accompany applications to the scheme," Carroll added.
The ICMSA deputy president said that, while the scheme is a positive step, it would "be a shame" if an unrealistic deadline "wipes out the good intentions".