Monday, March 23, 2015

Help for applications to National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme

I would like to let farmers know about the one to one assistance that will be available from the Department of Agriculture offices in Portlaoise this week from Wednesday 25th March to Tuesday 31st March, writes Martin Heydon TD. The application process and online system can seem complex, especially to new applicants so this is a very worthwhile resource.

In order to provide assistance to Young Farmers and New Entrants who may be experiencing difficulty in completing and submitting online applications under the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will provide one-to-one assistance between Wednesday 25th March and Tuesday 31st March at its offices in Portlaoise.

The closing date for receipt of online applications for the two priority categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant’ under the National Reserve is 31st March 2015. As there may be a small number of farmers who are experiencing difficulty in submitting their application and supporting documentation online, the Department will endeavour to facilitate these farmers by providing assistance to complete the online application.

Department officials will be available at Government Offices, Old Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise from Wednesday 25th to Tuesday 31st March from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 5pm.

This service is being made available to individual farmers who hold a registered herd number and are also registered for online services with the Department. In order to best manage the service and to avoid potential unnecessary delays, prospective applicants who wish to avail of this service should contact Lo Call: 0761 064 446 to agree an appointed time for their visit.

Applicants who have been allocated an appointment should ensure that they bring the following necessary items when attending:

Login, password and PIN details for Department online services; Photo ID; Herd number; All supporting document as required under the Terms and Conditions of the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme.

For prospective applicants who are unable to access the online application system as result of having applied for a herd number or an amendment to an existing herd number prior to 31st March 2015, and these have not yet been allocated or processed, a separate manual application is available to download from the Department’s website at: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/nationalreserveandyfs/