EU schemes usher new era for young farmers
As we enter a new era of CAP the first schemes to emerge from the newly reformed CAP are the Basic Payment National Reserve and Basic Payment Young Farmer Top Up schemes. Both schemes are in Pillar 1 of CAP with 100% EU funded schemes and recently established young farmers may benefit from both schemes or the Young Farmer Top Up.
What has the National Reserve to offer young farmers? Firstly the National Reserve is an important policy instrument to ensure young farmers and new entrants entering farming without an adequate Basic Payment entitlement are given an opportunity to be allocated entitlements. For the first time young farmers and new entrants are a mandatory category in the National Reserve under EU CAP legislation. The national reserve is governed by European scheme rules, however, member states have some flexibility to set objective criteria for the scheme. Ireland chose to impose an off- farm income limit and a maximum amount of area on which entitlements could be applied. Some European members states may decide not to apply these criteria.
