Macra na Feirme welcomes the opening of 2017 National Reserve
Macra na Feirme welcomes the opening of the 2017 National Reserve which is very significant and important to provide the priority categories of young farmers and new entrants with CAP payments which they need to build successful careers in farming.
Macra na Feirme National President Seán Finan said, "We welcome and are delighted with news of the opening of the 2017 National Reserve.
Macra na Feirme takes full credit for identifying the mechanism for funding of the 2017 National Reserve through the reallocation of unused young farmer top - up funds and we worked very closely with all stakeholders to secure its opening in 2017.
The National Reserve is vital to give young farmers and new entrants the CAP payments they require and need."
It is unfortunate and disappointing that there are still a cohort of "older" young farmers and a group of new entrant parent partnership farmers who are young farmers under 40 with low value or no payment and are not eligible for the national reserve.
Sean Finan concluded, "We reiterate previous calls for Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to honour the programme for government commitment to seek recognition for the older young farmer group in Brussels as a group with specific disadvantage.
“We want the new entrant parent partnership group of young farmers to be included and recognized also as part of the submission to Brussels. These two distinct groups of young farmers need certainty and deserve to know once and for all if they are going to be recognized or not.
“We are calling on Minister Creed to clarify the situation as a matter of urgency and this will give the young farmers involved certainty and allow them plan for their futures."