Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not aware that there is any significant request for us to extend that date, so we have not done so. My understanding is that the farmers who qualify as young farmers have not had a major issue with the application dates. If I am incorrect, I will happily listen to those arguments, but my understanding is that there is not a big issue.

With regard to Pillar 2 payments and the rural development programme, we do not have a national reserve to use. We have that under Pillar 1, and that is how the rules work. We are using what we have in Pillar 1 to try to help this group of people. The Deputy should not forget that these farmers will have the option to get all the other supports we are rolling out anyway through the rural development programme; we should not take that for granted. These are very attractive schemes with very good support measures. The people in question are not defined as young farmers in the same way as those who are defined under the regulation and therefore they will not be getting the kind of top-ups under Pillar 2 payments because we do not have a mechanism to do that. They will be getting favourable treatment through the national reserve under Pillar 1.

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