Young farmer groups call for payment scheme for new entrants

A MANDATORY payment scheme for new entrant farmers is an essential mechanism to address the ageing profile of Irish and EU agriculture, according to Europe’s young farmer groups.

Macra na Feirme’s agricultural affairs committee chairman, Kieran McEvoy, and European young farmers group CEJA president, Joris Baecke, are leading a drive to take the elective choice away from EU member states as regards payments to young farmers. The commission’s working group gave their proposal a positive hearing.

Mr McEvoy said: “Macra sees the value of a mandatory package, especially in an Irish context where the Government withdrew funding for young farmers on a whim, leaving Ireland one of the few EU countries without an installation aid scheme.”