Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. Once again, I want to raise the issue of the forgotten farmers scheme, which closed for applications on 13 August. The scheme was intended to right a long-standing wrong by finally recognising a cohort of farmers who missed out on key supports during a gap between CAP reforms. This scheme was years in the making yet the Department opened applications for only a fortnight in August when many farmers were at their busiest. I have been contacted by constituents who simply did not realise the scheme was open, only to discover that they had missed the deadline.

In 2015, the Department of agriculture identified around 4,000 farmers in this group. By 2023, that number had been revised down to 3,500. When the scheme closed, only 1,254 applications had been received, which means that fewer than half of those identified as eligible got the opportunity to apply. Such a situation cannot be explained away as a lack of interest. It speaks to poor communication, a rushed timeline and a scheme that was, in my opinion, designed to minimise uptake. The truth is that a two-week window in August was never going to work for farmers. At that time, farmers were under pressure, contractors were busy and advisers were on holiday. Many farmers did not even hear about the scheme until it had closed. For a group that had spent years awaiting recognition this was a cruel, short opportunity and now they are being told that it is too late.

I have made representations to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the response has been an emphatic "No". There is also the question of how a sum of €5 million could be divided among 3,000 eligible farmers because it only amounts to €1,660, which does not deliver the promised €5,000 each. It is no wonder then the Department seems to have quietly accepted a much smaller pool of applicants. I wrote to the Minister before the scheme opened and again after it closed to highlight these exact concerns; specifically that the timeframe was too short and the communication from the Department was not adequate. The feedback I have received from farmers across the country is one of deep frustration and a sense that the forgotten farmers have again been swindled out of their entitlements. They feel that the door was closed before they even got a chance to walk through it.

These are the same forgotten farmers who we have talked about for years. I ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to open the scheme or, at the very least, put in place a follow-up measure to ensure that every farmer who meets the criteria gets the payment to which they are entitled.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising the matter. As she is aware, there is a commitment in the Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future to "Deliver a scheme that recognises the category of farmers known as the 'Forgotten Farmers'." Since the time the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was first approached in 2015 with regard to the group commonly referred to as forgotten farmers, the group was defined as young farmers who were under the age of 40 in 2015, had established their holdings prior to 2008, held no or low-value payment entitlements and were ineligible for young farmer supports under the CAP from 2015. The request for support for the forgotten farmer group in 2015 was for inclusion under the basic payment scheme national reserve as a group suffering from specific disadvantage. This definition of forgotten farmer has remained consistent since 2015.

Budget 2025 provided an allocation of €5 million to deliver on the programme for Government commitment and in 2025 the Department developed the scheme to support the long-established young farmers to address the commitment in the programme for Government. The scheme was implemented in two phases. Phase 1 saw the opening of an online survey on 7 May 2025 in preparation for a scheme to support long-established young farmers. This survey remained open for submissions for over three weeks until Friday, 30 May 2025 to assist in determining the number of farmers who met the long-standing criteria for forgotten farmers. The survey required participants to indicate they met the qualifying criteria for the proposed scheme. The launch of this survey was widely reported in the farming media, both online and in hard copy. Phase 2 saw the opening of online applications under the scheme to support long-established young farmers on 22 July 2025. The online application system remained open for over three weeks and closed on 13 August 2025. This online application required applicants to confirm they met the eligibility criteria under the scheme and to also upload documentation in support of their date of birth and agricultural educational qualifications.

As was the case with the online survey launched as the first phase of this scheme, the launch of the online application system was widely reported in the farming media, both online and in hard copy. In addition, in advance of the closing date the Department issued text message reminders to potential applicants whose applications were still in draft in order to ensure these applications could be submitted. When online applications closed under the scheme there were 1,254 applications submitted. These applications are currently being assessed against the scheme's terms and conditions to determine eligibility. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application when this process has been completed in due course. It is expected payments will be made to successful applicants in early December 2025. The application window for the scheme to support long-established young farmers closed on 13 August and there are no plans to extend the eligibility criteria or to provide for another scheme in future years.

As has been mentioned previously, both the online survey launched as the first phase of the scheme in May and the online application system launched as the second phase in July were widely publicised in the farming media to raise the awareness of prospective applicants to the availability of the support scheme. The window to submit applications closed at 5.30 p.m. on 13 August 2025 and, as per the terms and conditions of the scheme, late applications are deemed inadmissible and there are no plans to extend the deadline.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I appreciate the Minister of State's reply but it simply is not good enough for the farmers who have once again found themselves excluded. It is a double rejection. The Minister of State has confirmed 1,254 applications were received and I acknowledge that is a start but we both know the estimated number of those eligible was about 3,000. That leaves close to 1,700 farmers with no recourse. If the Government is serious about fairness and paying what is genuinely owed, there must be a second chance, whether through a short opening of the application portal or through a supplementary scheme. These farmers must be accommodated, otherwise we are sending a clear message that the forgotten farmers are again being forgotten. I ask that a full breakdown of the applications be published showing people who took an interest in the earlier scheme in May and the difference between that number and how many applications were received in August. More importantly, I ask the Minister to commit to exploring a mechanism to ensure these eligible farmers are not left behind.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I will again, obviously, convey the Senator's views to the Minister on whose behalf I am replying. In the closing statement the Minister emphasises the process is under way at the moment and assessment and processing is under way. The Department, therefore, has no plans to extend the deadline.