It is too late to wait until the onset of the next CAP in 2028 to introduce young farmer supports to aid generational renewal, Macra president Josephine O’Neill has said.

Speaking following an exchange with Minister Martin Heydon at the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA) AGM on Tuesday, O’Neill called for urgent action on supports for young farmers.

Addressing Minister Heydon at the AGM, O’Neill said support for young farmers cannot wait until the next CAP.

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“Considering the huge uncertainty surrounding Mercosur and the statistics of young farmers, waiting until CAP 2028 is too late to commit to young farmers.

“So what do you and your Department propose in the immediate future to support young farmers and ensure that farming is a viable and attractive career for future farmers?” she said .

In response, the Minister said that “taxation is our single greatest support to generational renewal”.

While acknowledging the role taxation measures can play, O’Neill said that taxation alone is not enough to address the scale of the challenge facing generational renewal in Irish farming.

“Taxation supports are important, but they cannot be the only answer. We need far more work to normalise conversations around succession at farm level and to actively encourage and support families to plan for the future,” she added.

O’Neill referenced the recommendations already made by the Commission on Generational Renewal and said these must be accelerated and implemented well before 2028.

“The tools, research and recommendations already exist. What is missing is urgency. Young farmers need certainty, confidence and visible commitment now – not in three- or four-years’ time,” she stated.

“If we are serious about food security, rural vitality and the future of farming, then generational renewal must move from rhetoric to action. Waiting until the next CAP risks leaving young farmers behind.