Up to a quarter of farmers in some counties are receiving no agricultural grants, and many small farmers are not claiming their full social welfare entitlements. These were among the findings of a seminar on rural poverty held by the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed yesterday. Delegates from rural development groups outlined the main problems they faced in promoting employment programmes. The INOU's assistant general secretary, Ms Mary Murphy, said job-creation was at the core of tackling rural poverty.
Traditionally the State had been proactive in fostering employment in these areas, she said, but there now seemed to be a growing acceptance that it was no longer possible to influence where new industries located. State investment was essential if people were to be kept in rural areas.
Wages as low as £2 an hour were being paid in some rural factories, especially in the food sector. Given the higher transport costs in rural areas, it was often not worth people's while to take these jobs.
Community Employment Schemes in rural areas often failed to meet participants' real needs, Ms Murphy said. Often small farmers did not realise they were eligible to join CE schemes or claim back-to-work allowances.
One of the priorities for the voluntary sector was to make long-term unemployed people in rural areas aware of their rights and the opportunities available to them.