A culture of avoidance surrounding the topic of succession is impacting on the mental health of some of the farming community. There are many benefits to farming households putting a succession plan in place, but this raises the question: where do you even start?
Early – according to Enda Geoghegan of Teagasc. Enda works as a climate change and sustainability advisor and is a qualified mediator who has years of experience in dealing with succession cases.
“These conversations around succession could happen 10 years before anything is actually transferred,” Enda explains. “It’s about starting the process early and sitting down with the whole family, and really trying to take the stress out of it so everybody knows what’s going on.”
Enda reports seeing a “weight lifted off people’s shoulders” following conversations about succession, and says that planning ahead has clear benefits in terms of reducing worry. Stress, when it occurs over a long period of time, is linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. And, certainly for some farmers, thinking about a succession plan is a significant source of stress in their lives.
The number one reason parents put off having the talk, according to Enda, is that they don’t want to upset their children.
“With farm families and farmers of the older generation, they sometimes think the easiest way not to upset people is to leave everything as it is. If everything is going well, their view is ‘don’t fix it.’ Then when they die, they can sort it out. The danger with making no plans and trying to keep everybody happy is that you do nothing and then arguments happen.”
Emotions run deep – deeper still on farms where people have connections to the land going back multiple generations. “If you look at every family, there’s different dynamics,” explains Enda.
“Everyone’s expectations have to be taken into consideration. If somebody has expectations, and their expectations are ignored, that’s going to cause resentment.”
Whether or not there are big personalities in the family, Enda’s advice is to bring in an agricultural advisor or mediator to navigate the process and keep everything on track. “If you have an outside person that can do this in a structured way, they can manage the meeting, and put everything down on paper. Sometimes, when reality bites, expectations can be reduced or managed.”
Inheritance entitlement
Having an expert involved not only alleviates stress but also can eliminate any coercion or elder abuse. Enda explains that the ageing profile of farmers and the housing crisis are causing more land disputes than in previous times. “Sometimes the younger generation might like the assets more than the farming life. Years ago, people were happy enough for one family member to continue on the farm. But what’s happening now is that people are seeing the value of this asset, which is really increasing, and saying: ‘why is he getting an asset worth €2m?’
Enda Geoghegan of Teagasc sees a "weight lifted off peoples' shoulders" following conversations about succession.
“Another thing that’s often overlooked around the whole area of succession is actually the role of the retiring person after the transfer,” says Enda. “That causes an awful lot of stress to that person.
“You’re the main farmer, you transfer over to your son or daughter, and now suddenly they are the main decision maker. But what is the father’s role in the farm going forward? Sometimes that can lead to stress and maybe resentment among the older generation because they feel they’re thrown on the scrap heap.
“One thing about post-retirement plans that many miss out on is what happens to the retiring couple after the process is put in place. If there is a plan, it can reduce stress. People are happier. They know what their role will be into the future.”
Breian Carroll, managing director of Carroll Consultancy, saw these realities play out in the programme he coordinated on wellbeing and farm succession in 2023, a project supported by the DAFM.
A team consisting of experts in areas of the farm succession process (including an accountant, agricultural consultant and health expert) worked with 30 farmer participants from different backgrounds on future farm succession scenarios.
The project interviews conducted with farmers revealed some consistent themes about developing a succession plan that caused mental stress. These included: absence of a successor, deciding who the right successor is, legal or tax concerns and worries about retirement income.
Breian says that farmers cannot underestimate the importance of developing a succession plan. “Not a week goes by that I’m not talking to a farmer or his spouse or family member about succession, it’s a major challenge for the sector,” he says.
Breian emphasises that the size of the farm does not matter; the owner faces the same challenges in communicating to the next generation and talking about their assets.
“The financial and economic impacts might be different for each farmer, but the emotional discussions are the same.”
Following the project on wellbeing and farm succession, 85% of participants acknowledged that participating in the project alleviated stress caused by the farm succession process.
Irish Country Living spoke to one farmer, Nigel* who has a solid succession plan in place on his 150ac suckler farm. He lives along the Sligo/Mayo border and three years ago, he set up a partnership with his three sons.
Nigel has seven children but only three were interested in farming. Asked whether having a succession plan in place has alleviated any stress, Nigel responds: “that’s for sure, it has eased my mind.”
Breian Carroll, managing director of Carroll Consultancy, coordinated a programme on wellbeing and farm succession in 2023.
Succession and wellbeing
However, not everyone has it as straightforward. One Mayo suckler farmer Damien* who participated in the programme still lacks a comprehensive succession plan. “The farm was handed down to me from my father, I have worked it all my life, but my family have no interest,” he says.
“When my children was younger, I assumed one of them would have taken over the farm,” Damien says. But none of his four children want to farm.
Both Nigel and Damien said they enjoyed the mental health aspects of the succession programme, especially Damien who says: “it gave me more of a perspective to talk to my family about succession. Before I wouldn’t have brought it up, but it was at the back of my mind.”
Talking to others on the programme also helped Damien to make peace about not having a clear successor. “You worry about what happens because the farm has been there for three generations and I can’t see it carrying on,” he reflects. “It would have caused me stress a few years ago, but now I look at it completely differently.
“The way I’m looking at it at the minute is that I’ll farm the land to the best of my ability for as long as I can. If my family wants it, they’re more than welcome to it.”
*Names were changed to protect the identity of the farmers concerned.
Don’t rush. Making a quick decision to transfer land in a bid to avoid paying stamp duty or income tax may save money now, but will cost you down the line.
Make sure that there is a plan in place for the retiring person or couple. A post-retirement plan could be a financial plan outlining how they are going to be supported from the farm in the future, and/or one which sets out the future role of the outgoing farmer.
Bring in an expert. Tax advisors, accountants, agricultural consultants and mediators: there’s no shortage of highly skilled professionals to bring on board and guide you with forming a succession plan.
A culture of avoidance surrounding the topic of succession is impacting on the mental health of some of the farming community. There are many benefits to farming households putting a succession plan in place, but this raises the question: where do you even start?
Early – according to Enda Geoghegan of Teagasc. Enda works as a climate change and sustainability advisor and is a qualified mediator who has years of experience in dealing with succession cases.
“These conversations around succession could happen 10 years before anything is actually transferred,” Enda explains. “It’s about starting the process early and sitting down with the whole family, and really trying to take the stress out of it so everybody knows what’s going on.”
Enda reports seeing a “weight lifted off people’s shoulders” following conversations about succession, and says that planning ahead has clear benefits in terms of reducing worry. Stress, when it occurs over a long period of time, is linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. And, certainly for some farmers, thinking about a succession plan is a significant source of stress in their lives.
The number one reason parents put off having the talk, according to Enda, is that they don’t want to upset their children.
“With farm families and farmers of the older generation, they sometimes think the easiest way not to upset people is to leave everything as it is. If everything is going well, their view is ‘don’t fix it.’ Then when they die, they can sort it out. The danger with making no plans and trying to keep everybody happy is that you do nothing and then arguments happen.”
Emotions run deep – deeper still on farms where people have connections to the land going back multiple generations. “If you look at every family, there’s different dynamics,” explains Enda.
“Everyone’s expectations have to be taken into consideration. If somebody has expectations, and their expectations are ignored, that’s going to cause resentment.”
Whether or not there are big personalities in the family, Enda’s advice is to bring in an agricultural advisor or mediator to navigate the process and keep everything on track. “If you have an outside person that can do this in a structured way, they can manage the meeting, and put everything down on paper. Sometimes, when reality bites, expectations can be reduced or managed.”
Inheritance entitlement
Having an expert involved not only alleviates stress but also can eliminate any coercion or elder abuse. Enda explains that the ageing profile of farmers and the housing crisis are causing more land disputes than in previous times. “Sometimes the younger generation might like the assets more than the farming life. Years ago, people were happy enough for one family member to continue on the farm. But what’s happening now is that people are seeing the value of this asset, which is really increasing, and saying: ‘why is he getting an asset worth €2m?’
Enda Geoghegan of Teagasc sees a "weight lifted off peoples' shoulders" following conversations about succession.
“Another thing that’s often overlooked around the whole area of succession is actually the role of the retiring person after the transfer,” says Enda. “That causes an awful lot of stress to that person.
“You’re the main farmer, you transfer over to your son or daughter, and now suddenly they are the main decision maker. But what is the father’s role in the farm going forward? Sometimes that can lead to stress and maybe resentment among the older generation because they feel they’re thrown on the scrap heap.
“One thing about post-retirement plans that many miss out on is what happens to the retiring couple after the process is put in place. If there is a plan, it can reduce stress. People are happier. They know what their role will be into the future.”
Breian Carroll, managing director of Carroll Consultancy, saw these realities play out in the programme he coordinated on wellbeing and farm succession in 2023, a project supported by the DAFM.
A team consisting of experts in areas of the farm succession process (including an accountant, agricultural consultant and health expert) worked with 30 farmer participants from different backgrounds on future farm succession scenarios.
The project interviews conducted with farmers revealed some consistent themes about developing a succession plan that caused mental stress. These included: absence of a successor, deciding who the right successor is, legal or tax concerns and worries about retirement income.
Breian says that farmers cannot underestimate the importance of developing a succession plan. “Not a week goes by that I’m not talking to a farmer or his spouse or family member about succession, it’s a major challenge for the sector,” he says.
Breian emphasises that the size of the farm does not matter; the owner faces the same challenges in communicating to the next generation and talking about their assets.
“The financial and economic impacts might be different for each farmer, but the emotional discussions are the same.”
Following the project on wellbeing and farm succession, 85% of participants acknowledged that participating in the project alleviated stress caused by the farm succession process.
Irish Country Living spoke to one farmer, Nigel* who has a solid succession plan in place on his 150ac suckler farm. He lives along the Sligo/Mayo border and three years ago, he set up a partnership with his three sons.
Nigel has seven children but only three were interested in farming. Asked whether having a succession plan in place has alleviated any stress, Nigel responds: “that’s for sure, it has eased my mind.”
Breian Carroll, managing director of Carroll Consultancy, coordinated a programme on wellbeing and farm succession in 2023.
Succession and wellbeing
However, not everyone has it as straightforward. One Mayo suckler farmer Damien* who participated in the programme still lacks a comprehensive succession plan. “The farm was handed down to me from my father, I have worked it all my life, but my family have no interest,” he says.
“When my children was younger, I assumed one of them would have taken over the farm,” Damien says. But none of his four children want to farm.
Both Nigel and Damien said they enjoyed the mental health aspects of the succession programme, especially Damien who says: “it gave me more of a perspective to talk to my family about succession. Before I wouldn’t have brought it up, but it was at the back of my mind.”
Talking to others on the programme also helped Damien to make peace about not having a clear successor. “You worry about what happens because the farm has been there for three generations and I can’t see it carrying on,” he reflects. “It would have caused me stress a few years ago, but now I look at it completely differently.
“The way I’m looking at it at the minute is that I’ll farm the land to the best of my ability for as long as I can. If my family wants it, they’re more than welcome to it.”
*Names were changed to protect the identity of the farmers concerned.
Don’t rush. Making a quick decision to transfer land in a bid to avoid paying stamp duty or income tax may save money now, but will cost you down the line.
Make sure that there is a plan in place for the retiring person or couple. A post-retirement plan could be a financial plan outlining how they are going to be supported from the farm in the future, and/or one which sets out the future role of the outgoing farmer.
Bring in an expert. Tax advisors, accountants, agricultural consultants and mediators: there’s no shortage of highly skilled professionals to bring on board and guide you with forming a succession plan.
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