Red tape tying farm assist application process in knots – Aylward

Fianna Fáil TD for Kilkenny, Bobby Aylward has said the Farm Assist Application process needs to be simplified. Deputy Aylward called on the Minister for Social Protection, Regina Doherty, to review Farm Assist Scheme forms to ensure that farmers are not slowed down by red tape when applying for the payment.

Deputy Aylward said, “I am regularly contacted by members of the farming community who are fed up by the bureaucracy associated with filling out farm assist applications. No one is arguing about the need for the process, but they are certainly questioning the convoluted nature of it.

“The Farm Assist Scheme was established by Fianna Fáil to provide a valuable payment for low income farmers. While the last Fine Gael led government introduced drastic cuts to the scheme in 2012, Fianna Fáil have managed, under the Confidence and Supply arrangement, to reverse these cuts.

“Many farmers depend on this scheme yet they are exacerbated with the slow and complex nature of the application – it’s an ordeal for farmers.

“The Minister must instruct her Department to review this form to ensure the farm assist application is a swift and simple process for those in the farming community,” concluded Deputy Aylward.