Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 7 September 2026
2661. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of young farmers who have applied to date for the national reserve and complementary income support for young farmers schemes in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60205/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSupporting young farmers and promoting generational renewal are key priorities for my Department. The Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF) scheme is a targeted income support measure under Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027. The scheme provides an annual payment to eligible young farmers and forms part of a wider package of supports designed to encourage generational renewal and support the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector. The National Reserve provides for the allocation of new entitlements and/or the top-up of the value of existing entitlements for eligible young farmers and new entrants.
The number of applications received to date for the 2026 schemes is as follows:
- National Reserve – Young Farmers: 951
- National Reserve – New Entrants: 51
- Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CISYF): 6,869
Processing of applications is ongoing and, therefore, these figures are subject to change. These figures are broadly in line with the number of applications received in previous years. These figures are based on applications received to date and do not include applications with Temporary Reference Numbers.
The attached table provides the corresponding figures for the previous three years.
Table 1: 2023 – 2025 - National Reserve (NR) Young Farmers, National Reserve (NR) New Entrants and Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CISYF) applications
|
Scheme Year |
NR – Young Farmers |
NR – New Entrants |
CISYF |
|
2023 |
1879 |
127 |
6834 |
|
2024 |
1398 |
100 |
7137 |
|
2025 |
1262 |
82 |
7238 |
