Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Claire Kerrane TD, has said she will hold Minister McConalogue to his commitment to deliver a solution for the group known as ‘forgotten farmers’ in response to her in the Dáil.

During the exchange, Teachta Kerrane queried the Minister on his previous commitment to provide a scheme for these farmers, and queried if he will ensure a solution is delivered before the end of this Government term.  

Minister McConalogue acknowledged the significant delay and confirmed to Teachta Kerrane that he intended to finalise the proposed scheme this year.

Speaking today, Teachta Kerrane said:

“The Minister provided confirmation to me that a solution for the group known as ‘forgotten farmers’ will be brought forward this year.

“I pushed him for an update on the floor of the Dáil, given he has repeatedly provided assurances that details of a scheme will be brought forward for these farmers.

“He had previously stated that details would be made public in Q1 of last year. A year has now passed and we still have no update on what such a scheme might look like.

“When I last raised this with him in February he stated that his Department are designing an IT system to roll out such a scheme, yet we also have had no update on this.

“As I have said many times before, these farmers have waited for more than a decade for a solution and they cannot wait any longer.

“We are now approaching the end of this term of Government, with less than a year left for him to bring a solution forward as he has committed to do.

“I welcome his commitment to delivering a scheme this year, and will continue to hold him to account on this matter to see a solution in place for these farmers.”