Almost half of the 440 farmers questioned in a survey surrounding the proposed land mobility scheme in Northern Ireland said that they had not identified a farm successor, according to UFU president Barclay Bell.

The survey has carried out to establish if there was appetite for a land mobility scheme in the North, similar to the initiative run by Macra Na Feirme in the Republic of Ireland.

In a joint statement on Thursday, YFCU president Roberta Simmons said: “Many farm families find this a very difficult matter to discuss despite the lack of a succession plan posing an obvious and real problem for the farm business. The need for and availability of good, relevant information and advice was highlighted.”

Barclay Bell said that the UFU and YFCU were progressing with the establishment of the scheme. “The objective is to put older farmers facing the challenge of succession in touch with younger farmers wanting to get into the industry,” he said.

The two organisations are now looking at the operational direction of the land mobility scheme and how it could be funded. Government, and more specifically agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen, are to be asked to help facilitate the introduction of the scheme, according to the YFCU and UFU.

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