Surprisingly high application rate by new entrants
With an estimated two or three per cent of farmers disappearing per year, on average, it has come as a major surprise that about 7,000 farmers have already applied to a scheme for those who entered farming during 2000, 2001 and 2002.
A Department of Agriculture spokesperson said the number may be artificially high because applications were invited from new entrants under a number of headings.
Duplicate (or triplicate) new entrant applicants who qualify for single farm payment will be included under whichever heading gives them the most advantageous outcome.
But tomorrow is the last chance to apply for the SFP for those who commenced farming during the reference period (2000, 2001 and 2002) and/or who inherited land from a farmer who was farming during the reference period (inheritors automatically inherit any entitlements established for the farmer from whom they inherited).
Friday, October 29 is also the closing date for single farm payment applications from:
*Farmers claiming force majeure or exceptional circumstances.
*Farmers who wish to have the information in their Statement of Provisional Entitlements issued in September reviewed by the Department.
Farmers have been advised to apply as new entrants even if they are unsure if the scheme applies to them - which may also help to explain why about 7,000 applications were received.
Application forms for these measures are available from the Department’s www.agriculture.gov.ie website.
ICMSA says 5,000 dairy farmers who exited milk production between 2000 and 15 May 2004 can apply for additional Single Farm Payments.
“As they were converting from one enterprise to another during the base years, these farmers now find that their entitlements are abnormally low”, said ICMSA’s dairy chairman, Dominic Cronin.
“To their credit, and in recognition of this reality, the Commission has agreed to include these farmers as a category under the Single Farm Payment Scheme”, Mr Cronin added.
