New scheme to help fishermen and farmers

A COMMUNITY-BASED work scheme for farmers and fisherman and their spouses who struggle to make a living was launched yesterday.

Under the Rural Social Scheme, participants will be paid €280 for a 19 hour week and up to €16.80 for each child. Single farmers and fishermen will be paid €159.

Funding for the scheme will come from savings in Social Welfare payments and transfers from the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Community Affairs Minister Eamon Ó Cuív said the scheme will provide services to the local community by harnessing skills already available.

He said it would also provide support to low income farmers and fishermen who are in receipt of specified, primarily, long-term social welfare payments.

It will also free up Community Employment Scheme places as farmers and fishermen transfer from the CES to the he said.

However, Mr Ó Cuiv said the RSS is not a training scheme and that the CES will remain in place for people who want to re-train for entry into the labour force.

The types of projects to be carried out under the RSS are likely to include maintaining and enhancing agreed walks and various bog roads, energy conservation work for the elderly and the less well off, and village and countryside enhancement projects.

Social work and care of the elderly, as well as community care for both pre-school and after-school groups are other likely projects.

Mr Ó Cuív said he has long been convinced of the benefits that a scheme like this will bring to rural life.

The scheme will be delivered at a local level by eight LEADER companies, southwest Mayo, Inishowen, Galway, Cavan/Monaghan, Arigna Catchment (Leitrim and north Roscommon), IRD Duhallow (Co Cork and part of Kerry), WORD (Wexford), MFG/Údarás na Gaeltachta (Gaeltachts and Islands).

It is planned to extend the scheme to other areas in a short period of time.

Chairman of IRD Duhallow, which had a significant input into the preparation of the scheme, Jack Roche said the RSS will benefit small holders, who will get a supplementary income from it, and also the communities where they will work.

“It is a very open and flexible scheme which can also help revive traditional rural skills such as stone work. It has unlimited potential,” he said.

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association general secretary Eddie Punch said low income farmers now have the ideal opportunity to avail of additional income and to develop useful skills.