An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has agreed to meet with Macra again in two months to engage further with them on their key asks for young people in rural Ireland.

Having completed a 79km march from Athy in Co Kildare to Government buildings as part of the Steps for our Future protest, a Macra delegation was invited into Government buildings on Wednesday to meet An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett.

The delegation was given the opportunity to outline eight concerns and eight solutions to the Taoiseach and ministers.

It wasn’t until midday on Wednesday that Macra was informed that a sit-down meeting was possible with the Taoiseach. This was a welcome surprise, Macra national president John Keane said.

Keane led the delegation to Government buildings along with president-elect Elaine Houlihan, chair of the national agri affairs committee Liam Hanrahan; chair of the national rural youth committee Niamh Farrell; Shane Dolphin from the agri affairs committee; and CEO of Macra Mick Curran.

Macra president John Keane told the Irish Farmers Journal on Wednesday evening that the outcome of the meeting was extremely positive.

“We got a good bit of movement on two of our asks around changing the definition of the family farm as well as the establishment of a succession scheme.

“We hope now that when we meet again in late June or early July that the Taoiseach will have made real progress on the two issues of the family farm definition and a succession scheme.

“We will then look further, together, into the remaining six issues," he said.

Read more

Watch: Macra takes to the streets in protest march