The Minister said that at that time his priority was in accommodating those farmers who had been on the point of applying for the Scheme when it was closed in October 2008. Over 170 applications were received by the deadline with some of the applications being rejected as some documents were missing and the applications did not meet the scheme conditions.

"In the majority of cases, the applicants appeared, on preliminary examination, to meet the scheme conditions and I am pleased to announce that these will be processed fully and, provided that they comply with the requirements of the scheme, would qualify for payment of pensions. In such cases, the retiring farmer will become eligible for pension from the date on which a valid revised application is received. All in all, I believe this is a fair and reasonable solution in these cases. My officials will be in direct contact with all the applicants in this group shortly to explain what needs to be done to ensure eligibility for the ERS." Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith.

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