EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan this week dismissed the prospect of a return of a farm retirement scheme, saying it has left a “bad feeling” among farmers.

Commissioner Hogan said the last such scheme in Ireland had been available from the age of 55, but that the vast majority of farmers had no real wish to retire at that age.

He added that the scheme, which was suspended in 2008, left a bad feeling as the retirees were expected to do nothing and it became the job of official inspectors to ensure that they were not working in farming.

Commissioner Hogan said he was in favour of some form of income top-up that would enable a farm to pay two incomes for a period to help with generational transfer. Less than 6% of farmers in the EU are aged under 40.

However, Hogan added that how any such EU scheme might operate at national level would depend on the approach taken by Revenue.