Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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498.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will add any additional schemes under the new CAP to those currently deemed non-assessable income regarding farm assist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25524/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Farm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are approximately 3,700 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €50.92 million for the scheme in 2024.

Under the Farm Assist means test, income from a range of agri-environmental schemes attracts a disregard of €5,000, which I increased from €2,540 from January 2023, with 50% of the balance assessed as means.

Further to a 2021 technical review of the means test income disregards for Farm Assist, I significantly expanded the number of agri-environmental schemes that attract this disregard with the addition of 19 schemes, with effect from June 2022.

The Report also recommended that my Department would continue to work with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to identify any additional schemes contained in Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 that could be considered for inclusion in the list of agri-environmental schemes which attract a disregard for Farm Assist. As a result of this process, I added a further 4 schemes from April 2023.

I am committed to continuing to work with my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to identify and include any additional schemes in this list, as appropriate.

I trust this clarifies the position for the deputy.