Up to 2,500 extra to qualify for rural social protection help
The Government has budgeted for €82.8m of Farm Assist spending, compared to a 2016 spend of about €79m.
Budget 2017 introduced new measures in assessment of means for Farm Assist, including that farm income will now be assessed at 70%, down from 100%, and an additional annual means disregard of €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and subsequent children.
The scheme supports farmers on low incomes.
Recipients retain jobseeker’s allowance scheme secondary benefits, and access to activation programmes.
The number of families benefitting might increase from about 8,000 to 10,000.
However, the total depends on farm income trends.
All existing recipients currently assessed with means will have their payments adjusted so that the Budget 2017 measures will come into effect from March 8, with relevant payments changing on March 15 (Farm Assist is paid weekly in arrears).
It is estimated that this will cost €8.5m in 2017.
Farm Assist recipients will also benefit from the Budget 2017 €5 per week increase in the weekly rates of payment; and the 85% Christmas Bonus.
Farm Assist recipients are eligible to apply to switch to the Rural Social Scheme, in which 500 additional places are available this year, increasing the overall number to 3,100.
It is intended to allocate these places as early as possible in 2017.
The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) provides opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments, who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
RSS participants work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.
They will also gain a €5 per week payment increase from next March.
All new entrants to the RSS must be over 25 years of age, in a change designed to give younger people an opportunity to explore other training or education options before entering a long-term work programme. In addition, a six-year overall participation limit is being introduced on the RSS.
These new conditions only apply to new RSS entrants.
Almost 50% of the current participants have been on the RSS for over 10 years.
Existing participants will remain on the scheme as long as they continue to satisfy the eligibility conditions (which include continuing to be actively farming/fishing, and retaining entitlement to the underlying qualifying social protection payment.
An eligible farmer must have a valid herd number, but there are some provisions to use a herd number belonging to a spouse, parent or a sibling.
Participation also depends on availability of vacancies in the relevant locality. Eligible participants are offered contracts of one year, reviewed annually.
