Efforts from DAERA to simplify the application process to both the Young Farmers’ payment and Regional Reserve this year appear to have worked with the number of rejected applications falling significantly.

In 2016, the department received 773 new applications for the Young Farmers’ payment and 231 were subsequently rejected.

The main reason for so many ineligible applications was put down to the criteria needed in written partnership agreements that were required if a young farmer was involved in a partnership in the farm business.

The application process for the Young Farmers’ payment and regional reserve was revised by DAERA for 2017 and included a pre-written partnership agreement which needed to be signed by all partners in the business.

A DAERA spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that 417 new applications to the Young Farmers’ payment were received this year. Processing of applications is ongoing with around 250 applications finalised at present, and only one application has been rejected so far.