Macra has commended Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue for his intention to establish a Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming, saying “it was a long time coming”.
Earlier today, the minister said he intends to make generational renewal a central feature of Ireland’s preparations for a new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and consider whether the current framework in place effectively encourages generational renewal.
This will include considering whether the supports in place are having the desired effect, and how supports might best be configured to encourage generational renewal, for example through land transfers and succession planning, he said.
Minister McConalogue’s announcement this morning during his opening address at the Tullamore Show in Butterfield Estate, Co. Offaly, was “warmly welcomed” by Macra president, Elaine Houlihan, who said:
“What we are seeing here is, on the face of it, action by the Minister for Agriculture to address the lack of young farmers in Ireland and the threat that this brings to Irish food production.”
In the latest CAP “there was not one single euro allocated for farm succession supports”, Houlihan said, adding that “Macra and our members are not willing to wait to see what CAP 2027 brings, we need more than a committee.”
“Macra looks forward to a positive engagement with the Committee on Generational Renewal in Farming. Our members are those who are emigrating because they do not have access to land, our patience is at an end,” she said.
In its pre-Budget submission this year, Macra highlighted the need for a pilot succession scheme to encourage more young people to consider agriculture as a future career.
Macra has been campaigning on succession for several years, and in 2015 established the Land Mobility Service to match farmers who want to retire with young farmers who are seeking access to land.