Attracting more young people into dairying is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector at the moment.

A recent ICMSA survey confirmed the seriousness of the succession threat for the dairy industry. It found that 42% of respondents had no family member looking to take over the home farm.

So why are successful and profitable dairy farms struggling with succession?

Income volatility

There are a number of reasons: long hours, income volatility, and the better pay and conditions available in other employment.

A view that the dairy sector’s best days are in the rear view mirror is also cited as factor.

“We are very fortunate to have a milk pool that is produced by highly educated, forward-thinking, and committed farmers,” said Lakeland Dairies CEO Colin Kelly.

However, Kelly claimed that attracting more young people into dairying has to be a priority for the industry.

“It is incumbent on everyone in the industry to ensure that we are doing all we can to show that this is a great career for young people,” Kelly said.

For UCD’s Karina Pierce and agri-consultant Ciarán Dolan, the industry has to do more to attract young people who want to farm but do not have land.

“I have the privilege through my role in UCD of meeting hundreds of students every year that are excited about entering the agri-food sector,” said Pierce, who is a professor of dairy production at the university.

Opportunity

“Some of these students are from farming backgrounds and will go home to farm in the future, some are not from farming backgrounds but would like the opportunity to farm,” she added.

“We need to create opportunities for this enthusiastic cohort. There are many examples of young people who have found a way to enter dairy farming and have been extremely successful.”

Dolan expressed concern that the income levels for young farmers on rented land may not be sustainable into the future.

“While the current tax regime is very favourable to landowners to lease their lands, there is an urgent need to balance the tax incentives and other public policy measures more in favour of young trained farmers establishing themselves in dairy farming,” Dolan maintained.

“This is a key issue which I feel has not been adequately analysed nor acted upon. If we continue to ignore this fundamental matter, we may be facing contraction rather than expansion in milk output,” he claimed.