Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has said the European Commission's proposal to stop income support for older farmers who have a pension as part of its new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are measures that he feels are very "crude".

The minister was speaking at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association (INHFA), which took place in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon this week.

He said: "The proposals suggest that member states should cut off farmers in receipt of the state pension from direct payments from 2032."

The minister said that proposal would "cause really significant, worrying concern among older farmers", and added that he was "really ambitious around the area of generation renewal".

"But those proposals around pensions are something that I feel are very crude, and I'm particularly mindful of the many farmers out there who don't have an identified successor, and who would very much like to have someone to bring on as the next generation.

"My view on generation renewal is that there is no one intervention, and it's not just a problem in Ireland but it is a cause of real concern for farmers and farm families."

Minister Heydon highlighted that this problem needs to be tackled with a joint approach - addressing both the next generation and the older generation with all their knowledge and expertise.

He explained: "I believe that we can get things right, in the short-term with the upcoming budget, and obviously then in terms of the next CAP and having financial resources behind it and we can put very significant measures in place.

"I share the concerns and the implications of these proposals on our farmers, and my focus will be to ensure that Ireland has the flexibility to design a CAP scheme that best suits our agricultural system and our farmers."