Farm group Macra na Feirme has raised the forgotten farmer issue, saying that farmers must receive the support “that they have missed out on”. They have requested that the Minister of Agriculture clarify plans to address promises indicated in the media as far back 2021, which alluded to the fact that forgotten farmers would get a once off-payment of around €5,000 per farmer.
Reports at the time also specified that they would have access to TAMS and the National Reserve in the next CAP period.
John Keane, national president of Macra na Feirme, released a statement, saying “The minister needs to clarify if the cohort of farmers are being supported under the next CAP and where the funds are coming from to do so. According to the department’s own strategic document, it intends to support in the region of 6,700 young farmers under pillar 1 payments by 2026 onwards.”
“The once-off payment, if it is something the minister is going to deliver, must reflect the average drawdown of support availed of by farmers before the closing of the scheme. It is also important to ensure that investments this cohort of farmers have already made on their farms without support,” he added.
A call was also made to provide a clear definition of what constitutes a forgotten farmer.