Early retirement beckons for 170 farmers

THE EASY chair beckons for about 170 farmers who made applications after Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith re-opened the Early Retirement Scheme (ERS) last September.

More than 170 applications were received by the October 31 deadline. A small number were rejected because vital supporting documentation was missing and the applications did not meet the scheme conditions.

But Mr Smith said of the scheme: “In the majority of cases, the applicants appeared, on preliminary examination, to meet the scheme conditions, and I am pleased to announce that these will be processed fully and, provided that they comply with the requirements of the scheme, would qualify for payment of pensions.”