Financial Assistance for Young Farmers Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

The Scheme set out in the Schedule to this Order makes provision for grant towards expenditure incurred in servicing loans obtained by young persons for the purposes of, or in connection with, the implementation of a business plan relating to the establishment, expansion or carrying on of an agricultural business. A young person is defined, for the purposes of the Scheme, as a person under the age of 40 at the time he makes an application for grant under the Scheme.

The Scheme –

(a) provides for applications (Article 4);

(b) sets a closing date of 3 April 2008 for applications (Article 5);

(c) sets limits on the amount of grant payable under the Scheme to any young person (Article 6);

(d) enables the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (“the Department”), having regard to the financial resources which are available for the payment of grant, to suspend further consideration of applications until such time as may be specified by it (Article 7);

(e) imposes record keeping requirements on persons benefiting from the Scheme (Article 8);

(f) confers powers of entry and inspection on persons authorised by the Department (Article 9);

(g) provides for the determination of interest on amounts recoverable from persons who had received payments under the Scheme (Article 10); and

(h) creates offences and penalties (Article 11).