Rural Life
Total expenditure under the Farm Assist Scheme between 2012 and 2015 stood at €389.4m, the Minister for Social Protection has said.
Agri-Business
Changes made in the Budgets of 2012 and 2013 to the Farm Assist scheme saw the Government save over €10m per year.
Minister Joan Burton came in for some severe criticism in the Dail this week over recent changes to the farm assist scheme.
There are no plans to change the current criteria for accessing farm assist applications, according to the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton.
The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to replace 'Smallholders Unemployment Assistance' for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work.
The number of farmers claiming Farm Assist in March has fallen by over 10% compared to the same month last year.
In 2013, 377 overpayments were raised on the Farm Assist scheme with a total value of €2.9 million, giving an average overpayment of €7,575 according to a report from the controller and Auditor General.
According to latest data from the Department of Social Protection some 375 farmers lost their farm assist payments due to measures introduced in the 2013 budget.
