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Greening Share Farming Agreement Recognition
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Recognition of a share farming agreement by the Department allows farmers to apply for direct payments under their share farming arrangement. This means recognised share farming agreements are fully compliant with direct payment support schemes.
Share farming is where two or more people carry on farming businesses under an agreed arrangement on the same land without forming a partnership or company. All the farmers involved share the benefits and the risks.
Each of the farmers makes separate contributions to the arrangement - for example, land, machinery, labour and expertise - and takes a share in the produce or gross output.
The share farming agreements of Basic Payment Scheme applicants are accepted and recognised by the Department once the farmers involved comply with the terms and conditions ]outlined. The recognised share farming arrangement will be placed on a register.
Farmers must take a series of steps, including the following:
- completed application form must be signed by all the share farmers
- complete and submit a share farming agreement
- all share farmers must contribute to both the inputs and outputs of the arrangement and share the gross output
- no fixed annual payments should be made
- share farming arrangement must be recognised and placed on register
- all of the land held by each share farmer must be included in the application submitted by the share farming arrangement
- primary participant or agricultural consultant must apply annually for direct aid schemes under one application
- all parties to the agreement must declare all of lands farmed in the application
The register of share farming arrangements will contain details of the:
- share farming arrangement
- individual share farmers involved
- their herd numbers
- name and address of the primary participant
- registered address for correspondence
- land details of all the share farmers who are participants to the agreement in the relevant scheme year
For 2021, applicants who wish to apply under a share farming arrangement should lodge their fully completed share farming application and share farming agreement immediately to the Department for approval and continue to apply online for the Basic Payment Scheme as an individual farmer before the deadline of 16 May 2022.
Following submission of all of the parties’ Basic Payment Scheme applications online, the Department will later join the parties to the agreement as an individual share farming application.
Step 1
Submit the share farming agreement and a completed share farming application form.
Step 2
The Department will assess the application and issue a unique share farming number to everyone in the agreement. The Department will combine all land parcels under one application to be completed online.
Step 3
The primary participant or agricultural consultant applies annually for direct aid schemes using the share farming unique number using one application. Basic Payment Scheme applications are not completed individually.
The application form and share farming agreement must be sent to:
Direct Payments Division (Share Farming)
Address:
Old Abbeyleix Road
, Co. Laois , Portlaoise
Summary:
Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine
Share Farming Recognition Application Form
Application form for recognition as a share farming arrangement
