Written answers
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Schemes
Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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356. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he plans to carry out the next reclassification of land in the jurisdiction of Ireland for the purposes of the areas of natural constraints scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33280/25]
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme provides financial compensation to farmers in recognition of the additional cost they incur in farming land that is designated as disadvantaged/constrained.
In 2019, Ireland was required, under Articles 31 and 32 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, to change the approach used to designating land as eligible for payment under the scheme. Up to that point, Ireland had been identifying eligible areas using a range of socio-economic indicators, including family farm income, population density, percentage of working population engaged in agriculture and stocking density.
From 2019, eligible areas were instead required to be designated using the following list of bio-physical criteria:
- Low Temperature
- Dryness
- Excess oil moisture
- Limited soil drainage
- Unfavourable texture and stoniness
- Shallow rooting depth
- Poor chemical properties
- Steep slope
It was then necessary to ‘fine tune’ areas by reference to the following three categories:
- District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) that displayed a stocking density over a 3-year average at a level above 1.8 livestock units (LU) per hectare.
- DEDs that displayed an average level of above 15% of the agricultural area taken up by arable crops.
- DEDs that displayed a combination of greater than 8% arable coverage, and a stocking density of between 1.4 and 1.8 livestock units per hectare.
A third step provided for in the EU Regulations allowed for land to be deemed eligible if it qualified under certain specific constraints. These were:
- Where 50% or more of the DED is covered by the Natura 2000 Directives and National Heritage Areas.
- Where the land holding in the DED is in multiple blocks (fragmented) and where the average farm size in a DED is less than 80% of the national average, i.e. less than 25.6 hectares.
- Where more than 50% of the townland is in permanent grassland and the average field size is less than 4 hectares.
Taken together, the above elements identified the lands deemed eligible or ineligible for support under the scheme. An opportunity was also afforded to landowners to appeal the decision of the categorisation of their land to the Ombudsman.
The current ANC scheme commenced in January 2023 and will operate until December 2027. It continues to grant payments to beneficiaries in areas designated pursuant to Article 31 and 32 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013.
John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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357. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s proposals for a scheme to support long established young farmers, commonly been referred to as Forgotten Farmers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33343/25]
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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As part of Budget 2025, my Department secured an allocation of €5 million to provide support to the group of farmers commonly referred to as ‘forgotten farmers’. A key first step in this process was to launch an online survey to assist in determining the number of farmers who meet the long-standing criteria for forgotten farmers. This survey closed on Friday, 30 May 2025. Details of the eligibility requirements, the benefits to successful applicants and the total support payable under any scheme to support long-established young farmers will be finalised when the results of the survey have been fully assessed by my Department.
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