ICMSA critical of “unfairly narrow” Forgotten Farmer Scheme

While welcoming the long-awaited opening of the Forgotten Farmer Scheme designed to provide long-overdue recognition and support for farmers who missed out on payments during the mid-2000s, ICMSA said that the scheme as outlined was unfairly narrow and restrictive. The Association’s Deputy President, Eamon Carroll said that while the scheme’s introduction is a positive, several outstanding issues remain to be addressed and he said it was a matter of regret that the scheme risked excluding many deserving applicants.

Mr. Carroll, who also serves as Chairperson of the Farm & Rural Affairs Committee, noted that the Association has advocated for such a scheme for many years: “This initiative is a long time coming and will be appreciated by those who qualify. However, the eligibility criteria are disappointingly narrow and there will be many obviously deserving cases that will not qualify, as presently set out,” he stated.

The ICMSA Deputy President said that a significant concern is the cut-off date of December 31, 2007, which he maintained would exclude many farmers now in their late forties or early fifties.

 “These were people who began farming during a period of economic hardship and who had limited access to any kind of young farmer supports.  ICMSA is calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to extend eligibility to include all farmers who entered the sector before 2015 and who never received young farmer payments. The Minister can make this important change and ICMSA urges him to do so in the interests of basic fairness”, concluded Mr. Carroll.

Ends       24 July 2025

Eamon Carroll, 087-6312945

Deputy President, ICMSA

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office