1 JUNE 2017

ICSA rural development chairman Seamus Sherlock has welcomed a Dáil motion brought forward by the Rural Independents Group which demands urgent changes to the Fair Deal Scheme for farmers and the self-employed. Speaking following a meeting with members of the Rural Independents Group Mr Sherlock said “We just want farmers to be treated like everyone else.”

“My experience is that many farmers are suffering alone and in silence as committing to the Fair Deal scheme could eventually lead to the sale of their farm to pay for nursing home fees. This is simply too high a price to contemplate in the eyes of many farmers. In reality these men and women are putting the viability of future farming generations before their own well-being. It is the position of ICSA that this is a decision neither our ageing farmers nor their families should be forced to make.”

“ICSA believes that the three year cap on assessing assets that applies to family homes should also apply to farms. We also support reducing the time an asset needs to be transferred prior to entering a nursing home from five to three years. ICSA believe that reform of the Fair Deal Scheme has been long fingered for too long and we want action now. The Fair Deal needs to be fair for everyone.”

ENDS