The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association have called on Minister Heydon to look again at the criteria used when deciding the qualifying criteria for the Forgotten Farmer.
Speaking on this, National President Pheilim Molloy stressed the need for “the Minister and his officials to go back to the drawing board and honour the understanding many of these farmers had when it came to providing them with long overdue support.”
These farmers have Molloy continued “shown commitment to the industry through their ongoing farming activity despite being left behind when it came to ongoing young farmer and new entrant supports.”
The development of a specific scheme for these farmers was, he added, “an important step in addressing this injustice.”
Unfortunately, the pay-out on the scheme has Molloy stated “seen many farmers overlooked with only 445 of an estimated 3,500 receiving a payment and raises major concerns around the criteria of a scheme that only accommodates 13% of the overall total.”
For most farmers, the main issue is the completion of the Green Cert (or its equivalent), with applicants required to have it completed by the 29 th May 2015.
This the INHFA leader stated has “(Based on the many phone calls to our office) come as a surprise, with many farmers citing how new entrants and young farmers applying for support under the 2014-2020 CAP Programme, were eligible, provided they had commenced their Green Cert by May of 2015.”
There is, Molloy continued, “considerable anger relating to the qualifying criteria around the Green Cert and the manner in which it was introduced, which is why we are asking that this and all criteria be reviewed with a view to accommodating as many of the 3,500 farmers as possible.”
