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Ahead of the 2016 Macra agricultural conference and Rally weekend, the young farmer organisation has called for a fully resourced Basic Payment National Reserve for 2017 to be available for young farmers and new entrants to farming. It suggests a reallocation of funding to ensure a reserve is available up to 2020, in line with encouraging generational renewal in the CAP.
The options available to fund the BPS National Reserve include Basic Payment entitlements unused over a two-year time frame, the claw back from sales of entitlements, and redirecting the unused funds from the €24m young farmer top-up scheme.
“Having invested in their future by attending agricultural colleges, now is the time to reward young farmers with the reopening of the National Reserve on a consistent basis,” Finan said. “This start-stop approach to young farmer schemes is having a detrimental impact on young farmers. It is obvious from past experience that when schemes are suspended or closed, they have a knock-on effect for future eligibility for these young farmers.”
Reaching your farming potential
The headline speakers for the “reaching your farming potential” conference on Saturday include Minister for State Andrew Doyle, Munster rugby player Donnacha Ryan, managing director of JFC John Concannon, FBD Young Farmer of the Year 2013 Dermot O’Connor, and Munster AI vet Doreen Corridan.
This year’s rally, sponsored by GVM group, takes place in Limerick. The event kicks off with the legendary Irish Farmers Journal ’Know your ag quiz’ on Friday 28 October.
Muskerry rally
Last year, the former Minister for agriculture, Simon Coveney, officially opened the Muskerry Macra rally and announced a young farmer top-up from the €13.7m aid package. Meanwhile, the headline speaker for the agricultural conference on the Saturday was Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, who announced that he was willing to review the definition of an active farmer.
Test yourself by playing our quiz.
Scale and efficiency on show at Cork farm walks
Ye might give me a few likes - Hogan
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