Fair Deal pledge is key issue in election campaign

ELECTION parties and candidates will be challenged by the IFA on their commitment to deliver the Fair Deal Nursing Home Scheme for farm families.

Despite the detailed Heads of Bill being published last Summer, the legislation was never passed and now with the General Election called for February 8, it still sits on the legislative shelves.

There had been speculation about possible legal issues with the Bill which had been approved by Cabinet 2018 – now the IFA want a commitment from the main political parties that they will bring it into law when the new Government takes up office.

Galway IFA Chairperson, Anne Mitchell, told the Farming Tribune, it was desperately disappointing after so much work being put into the Fair Deal scheme for small businesses and farmers, that it still hadn’t been passed into law.

“Many farm families are in a situation of real financial stress because of the current terms of the scheme whereby the three-year-cap on the 7.5% levy – that applies to the family home – does not apply to the farm itself.

“For farm families the absence of this cap can put the whole future of the holding into doubt. For too long, this has been just too much of a strain on farm families.

“Back in July of 2018, there was a Cabinet decision taken to introduce the Fair Deal scheme for farmers and we want the new Government to pass this into law, backdated to the time of its approval,” said Anne Mitchell.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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