Valuable new measures announced for qualified farmers aged 40 or under

Q&A: Keith Kennedy, Teagasc

Attracting young qualified people into farming was an important objective for Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney in the €12.5bn programme of Common Agricultural Policy and exchequer funding announced last week.

It includes a direct payments top-up of 25% for five years to farmers aged under 40, and allocation from the new national reserve of payment entitlements on a priority basis to young farmers.