With €22 million allocated towards the hosting of the Ryder Cup in Ireland, and not even an ask of €5 million for a proposed pilot-succession scheme delivered, Macra’s says it feels young farmers are “left in the rough”.

The contrast in funding priorities raises serious questions about the level of investment being made in the future of Irish farming, according to Macra president Josephine O’Neill.

On generational renewal, she said “meaningful, targeted investment is required” for an issue that is “very different to the one-off nature of a major sporting event”.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Ryder Cup will come and go, but the decisions we make now on generational renewal will shape Irish agriculture for decades to come,” O’Neill said.

Cut to budget

“On the other hand, we are also deeply concerned that agriculture’s share of the overall national budget has fallen to a new low of just 1.85%.

“Agriculture is fundamental to our economy, our food security and the vitality of rural Ireland, yet its share of Government investment continues to shrink. Young farmers cannot be expected to build the future of Irish agriculture on crumbs from the budget table.

“We welcome the increase in the succession farm partnership tax credit and the removal of the three-year land transfer rule. These are positive measures, but they are simply not enough. We need direct investment if we are serious about getting the next generation onto the land and into wellies.”

She welcomed the extension of the fuel-income support scheme, the full co-funding of the fertiliser top-up, the extension of fuel-excise cuts and increased TAMS allocation.

Measures fall short

However the Macra president said these measures “fall short of the level of funding and ambition that Macra was seeking and do not replace the need for long-term investment in the future of our young farmers.

“Young farmers are not a short-term project. They are the future of Ireland’s largest indigenous sector. If the Government is serious about generational renewal, the level of investment must match the scale of the challenge,” she said.