This week the Department of Agriculture opened the 2016 Young Farmers Scheme, the education requirement for which, according to Macra na Feirme, has changed since 2015.

To comply with the scheme’s education requirements, young farmers are required to have commenced their agricultural education by the 16 May 2016, just over a fortnight away.

Seán Finan, president of Macra na Feirme, says the original understanding was that young farmers would have until the end of 2016 to begin their course, the same way farmers applying for the 2015 scheme had until the end of 2015 to begin their education.

"This young farmer scheme education requirement is unworkable and impractical," Finan said. "It will limit the number of young farmers eligible to apply for the first time and is another example of unacceptable inconsistency in the implementation of young farmer policy."

Inconsistency

The inconsistency refers to the change made by the European Commission late last year that required farmers who wanted to avail of the 2015 Young Farmers Scheme top-up to have commenced their agricultural education by 31 December 2015. Originally the deadline was 30 September 2016, nine months later.

This change was facilitated by Teagasc by making arrangements to enrol all affected 2015 Young Farmers Scheme applicants who needed to start their agricultural education before the end of 2015.

Finan said he is now calling on the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc to work together to find a workable solution to allow young farmers enter the scheme.

"Macra is calling for young farmers who commence their agricultural education by the end of 2016 to be allowed enter the Young Farmers scheme," he concluded.

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2016 Young Farmers Scheme opens