Macra na Feirme president James Healy has given a lukewarm welcome to Budget 2018 saying the budget offers ‘‘something for everyone but it didn’t go far enough for our young farmer base’’. He continued: ‘‘In many ways, Budget 2018 is an inch deep and a mile wide.’’
The organisation welcomes the Brexit loan scheme. Healy said: ‘‘Access to funding is a struggle for young agri entrepreneurs. We welcome the €300m announced for the Brexit loan scheme. Young farmers must be a strategic priority within this allocation.
‘‘The Minister for Finance specifically mentioned the intergenerational shift in farm ownership and management in his budget speech and with this in mind, Macra na Feirme calls on Irish banks to prioritise young farmer access to this line of credit.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘‘The maintenance of young farmer stamp duty relief for inter-family transfer is important in the context of a rising stamp duty on commercial property. This young farmer relief supports intergenerational renewal.”
Macra president James Healy expressed his disappointment that the Minister for Finance made no effort to tackle the issues of income volatility for farmers saying. ‘‘No other industry could survive the income peak-to-trough experienced by farmers. Macra na Feirme had proposed measures through the taxation code to assist farmers in managing volatility. This was a missed opportunity by the minister.’’
Macra na Feirme is also calling for the additional €19m allocated to rural affairs to be ringfenced to support the implementation of the Action Plan for Rural Ireland to ensure vibrant and dynamic rural areas, which will create economic opportunities for rural youth.
Healy concluded: ‘‘This was a failed attempt at a Late Late Show-style budget where the Government wanted to ensure there was something for everybody in the audience. But what the Minister for Finance has introduced doesn’t go far enough.’’
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Macra na Feirme president James Healy has given a lukewarm welcome to Budget 2018 saying the budget offers ‘‘something for everyone but it didn’t go far enough for our young farmer base’’. He continued: ‘‘In many ways, Budget 2018 is an inch deep and a mile wide.’’
The organisation welcomes the Brexit loan scheme. Healy said: ‘‘Access to funding is a struggle for young agri entrepreneurs. We welcome the €300m announced for the Brexit loan scheme. Young farmers must be a strategic priority within this allocation.
‘‘The Minister for Finance specifically mentioned the intergenerational shift in farm ownership and management in his budget speech and with this in mind, Macra na Feirme calls on Irish banks to prioritise young farmer access to this line of credit.
‘‘The maintenance of young farmer stamp duty relief for inter-family transfer is important in the context of a rising stamp duty on commercial property. This young farmer relief supports intergenerational renewal.”
Macra president James Healy expressed his disappointment that the Minister for Finance made no effort to tackle the issues of income volatility for farmers saying. ‘‘No other industry could survive the income peak-to-trough experienced by farmers. Macra na Feirme had proposed measures through the taxation code to assist farmers in managing volatility. This was a missed opportunity by the minister.’’
Macra na Feirme is also calling for the additional €19m allocated to rural affairs to be ringfenced to support the implementation of the Action Plan for Rural Ireland to ensure vibrant and dynamic rural areas, which will create economic opportunities for rural youth.
Healy concluded: ‘‘This was a failed attempt at a Late Late Show-style budget where the Government wanted to ensure there was something for everybody in the audience. But what the Minister for Finance has introduced doesn’t go far enough.’’
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS