The commission on generation renewal has been formally established, with its chair and members announced by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

Aidan O’Driscoll will chair the commission.

He is the current chair of Ornua, former chair of the commission on the defence forces and also the former secretary general of the departments of justice and agriculture.

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The rest of membership of the commission will me made up of:

  • Professor Thia Hennessy, head of the college of business and law at University College Cork (UCC), with specialist expertise in the economic performance of the agri-food sector.
  • Dr Emma Dillon, economist and senior research officer with the Teagasc. She is currently leading research on generational renewal and the development of new metrics for social sustainability across farm systems.
  • Aisling Meehan, qualified solicitor, tax consultant, farmer and member of Women in Agriculture Working Group.
  • Thomas Duffy, dairy farmer, former president of Macra na Feirme, former vice-president of European Young Farmers Association and current independent chair of Teagasc Signpost steering committee.
  • Trevor Boland, accountant and currently farming a Teagasc Signpost beef farm in a registered farm partnership.
  • Seán Bell, chief economist at the Department of Agriculture.

    • Announcing the committee’s membership, Minister McConalogue said it comprises of a small group of people with relevant expertise and experience.

    He added that they will adopt an objective, evidence-based approach to examining all the factors involved in generation renewal.

    Retirement scheme and next CAP

    Minister McConalogue announced his intention to establish a commission on generational renewal in August of this year.

    He told the Irish Farmers Journal at the Ploughing he was “very much considering” a new farm retirement scheme.

    Minister McConalogue said that given the European Commission will publish its proposals for a post-2027 CAP during 2025, now is the time to consider new measures.

    “Therefore, this is an appropriate time to consider whether the framework currently in place provides appropriate support to young farmers thinking of entering the sector and effectively encourages generational renewal,” he said.

    The Minister added that he has asked the commission’s chair to engage closely with stakeholders, including all the main farming organisations, business representatives and relevant public sector bodies.

    “Following these discussions and the expert deliberation of the committee, a report on options will be compiled and submitted as part of the Food Vision 2030 process before the end of quarter two 2025.

    “This will ensure that we have an objective analysis of the issue in advance of preparations for the next CAP,” he said.