The Land Mobility Report for 2019 has been launched this morning, Thursday, June 20, in Buswells Hotel, Dublin.
The report has found that 80% of arrangements involved a trained farmer under the age of 40 with collaboration delivering a 65% increase in production on average.
On average, two people were gainfully employed while three people were getting an income per farm.
Macra na Feirme’s Land Mobility Programme – which seeks to facilitate new collaborative arrangements between farmers such as farm partnerships, shared farming and long-term leasing continues to grow in strength, according to the statement.
Since its launch in 2014, first as a pilot programme and later as a nationwide service, the programme has facilitated 521 arrangements resulting in approximately 47,000ac being farmed by younger trained farmers in collaborative arrangements.
Announcing the findings of the 2019 report, Macra’s national president Thomas Duffy said: “The fact that the service has provided facilitation for more than 500 arrangements is a testament to the hard work of a great many people.
The value of the service in terms of generational renewal and opportunities for young farmers cannot be underestimated.
Continuing, Duffy acknowledged: “The work in bringing this from concept to pilot and now to a service which is being replicated in other member states would not have been possible without the financial support of the FBD Trust.”
He added: “The support and buy in for this initiative from stakeholders such as the dairy cooperatives, the meat industry, Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture have ensured its success throughout the country.”
Also commenting on the report, Michael McBennett of FBD Trust and chairperson of the Land Mobility Advisory Group said: “The 2019 Land Mobility Report is proof that this programme can play a pivotal role in the future of Irish agriculture.
It is essential we become as competitive as possible by getting as much of our farm assets as possible under the management and care of younger, trained and ambitious farmers.
Launching the report today, Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said: “I commend the Land Mobility Service for their work in the area of land mobility and collaborative farming.
As well as financial support, the policy changes which we have introduced in recent years has facilitated and supported this work.
Concluding, Minister Creed said: “I look forward to continuing to work with them and the other stakeholders involved to ensure the ongoing structural development of the agriculture sector.”