This article is from page 38 of the 2007-06-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
IRISH farmers are one of the most likely groups to be deprived and liv- ing in poverty, according to results of a study launched last week by the Economic and Social Research Insti- tute (ESRI).
The study, which was based on the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) sur- vey, looked at social inclusion from a number of different approaches.
It looked at five different areas of deprivation including consumption, housing, health and neighborhood or environment factors.
Farmers were found to be one of the groupings at risk, alongside the unemployed, lone parents and those
with less than a Leaving Certificate education.
‘There is an urgent need to imple- ment immediately the key farm sup- ports in the Rural Development Plan, which include an improved REPS Scheme, an increase in disadvan- taged area payments as well as other key rural development measures,” said the IFA’s Rural Development Chairman, Padraig Divilly.
‘Farmers also need social welfare supports through improved pension provision and farm assist assessment. Every farmer should devote some time to thoroughly reviewing his or her pension cover under both state pensions and supplementary private pensions.
“This review should also include
the pension provision for the spouse working on the family farm. The few hours spent by a farmer this week in planning for retirement income could be the most valuable time spent at work for the year.”
Less than one in four Irish farmers have any private pension provision at “Ne
“Low-income farmers, whose tax returns show that they have no net li- ability to pay income tax, and wrong- ly think that they do not have to pay PRSI, should do so,” he continues.
“The law requires that everybody with an income above €3,174 must pay PRSI. Farmers in this low-in- come category should pay the flat- rate PRSI contribution of €157 per year to secure their pensions.”
Overall, less than one per cent of people are deprived on all five of the criteria set out by the ESRI. Indeed, only eight per cent of the population were found to be lacking in three of WtoRGulKout.
‘For maximal deprivation, labour market inactivity and illness or dis- ability are powerful predictors,” said a spokesman for the ESRI.
‘Education is also a strong influ- ence and so is being an urban local authority tenant.
“The fact that multiple depriva- tion and multiple disadvantage are relatively rare acts as a counter to the sometimes despairing tone of com- mentary focusing on a so-called un- derclass entirely detached from the mainstream of society.”