Macra na Feirme has announced the appointment of its former President, Kieran O’Dowd to the position of Land Mobility Facilitator.
O’Dowd will join Austin Finn, the Manager of the service and will be based in the north west region on a part-time basis.
O’Dowd will take up the position immediately and will be available for meetings with clients each Thursday and Friday in the north west region.
Due to the growing demand for the service Macra sought to appoint a second person, on a part-time basis, in the north west region.
Kieran O’Dowd
With additional support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Macra advertised for a second person in September and after conducting interviews, Kieran O’Dowd was appointed.
He will work closely with Austin Finn, the Manager of the Land Mobility Service to build upon the initial success of the service. He has a keen interest in the area of land access for young farmers and has a strong legal and financial background underpinned by his former experience as president of Macra.
The Land Mobility Service was set up in November 2013 as a pilot programme in three pilot areas (centred around Kilkenny, Cork, and Roscommon) to determine if a specialised service would encourage collaborative farming and improve land mobility.
Research and studies had identified the need for an expert dedicated support service in this area. Macra na Feirme with the generous support of FBD Trust and the three co-operatives, Aurivo, Dairygold and Glanbia, established the Land Mobility Service.
The service acts as an ‘honest broker’ and promotes all forms of collaborative farming arrangements including partnerships, share farming, long leases and contract rearing. To date, the service has facilitated approx 140 arrangements and the demand for the service continues to grow.