Lakeland Dairies and Macra na Feirme have launched a new Land Mobility Programme to connect farmers, farm families, new entrants and land owners. The service, operated by Macra, will help people establish collaborative arrangements such as partnerships, long-term leases or share farming in the Lakeland catchment area in the northeast.

Dairy farmer and UCD agricultural science graduate Patrick Brady will coordinate the regional programme and can be contacted on 087-1628 839.

Confidential

"The Land Mobility Programme unlocks resources, efficiencies, cost savings and income for farmers working co-operatively together," said Lakeland Dairies chair Alo Duffy. The service is confidential and can help farmers looking to expand, but also those who want to take a step back or make succession arrangements while securing their income for the future.

It builds on the nationwide pilot scheme operated by Macra for the past four years. The organisation said it had helped establish 400 collaborative arrangements covering 35,000ac of land.

"The reason the Land Mobility Initiative works for people is because it keeps people involved at the heart of any arrangement," said Macra's Land Mobility service manager Austin Finn.

In a recent survey, over 40% of Lakeland milk suppliers said they were interested in establishing a farm partnership.

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