Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1001. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 334 of 11 February 2021, the details of his efforts to address the discrepancies affecting the category known as the forgotten farmers, that is, those young farmers who have been denied top-up financial supports due to the fact that they commenced farming before 2015, within the next CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24594/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There were two direct payment supports for young farmers introduced under Pillar I of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) in 2015. These supports were provided under the Young Farmers Scheme and the ‘young farmer’ priority category of the National Reserve to support young farmers in the early year following the commencement of their agricultural activities.

Since the introduction of the Young Farmers Scheme in 2015, support has been granted to young farmers who have commenced their agricultural activity since 2010. Separately, from 2015, the ‘young farmer’ priority category of the National Reserve has also provided support to young farmers who have commenced their agricultural activity since 2010. In 2015, the National Reserve also provided support on a once off basis to a group of farmers called Old Young Farmers who had commenced their agricultural activity in 2008 and 2009 but had suffered the disadvantage of not having had access to Installation Aid available at the time of their initial set up.

The Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ contains a commitment to seek to resolve, under the next CAP, the issue of support for the category of farmers known as Forgotten Farmers. The draft proposals for the new CAP include provision for supports for young farmers and new entrants to farming and my Department is examining the issue of forgotten farmers with that timeline in mind. Negotiations on the reform of the CAP from 2023 are currently ongoing. The outline of any schemes supported under the next CAP and details of the Terms and Conditions for eligibility under such schemes or for supports available will be set out once the relevant EU Regulations are agreed and finalised.