The State should assist the next generation and older farmers in transferring the running of farm enterprises, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has said.

Officially opening the National Ploughing Championships on Tuesday, the President said farmers who want to pass on their land will be interested in all methods of doing this and the State should help them with this succession planning.

“I think anyone who is serious about farming as a way of life will be interested in different models of succession being there and of the State being of practical assistance. This is a conversation we must have,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

President Higgins added that there should be equal opportunity in terms of amenities in urban and rural area.

“Because you are living in rural Ireland, there should be no reason you are missing any of the facilities that are available in towns or in urban settings,” he said.

The President added that he is disappointed in how the country ultimately dealt with promoting regionalisation.

“I think in a way one of my disappointments at my age is that we made such a bad fist of regionalism, because I have been long convinced that it was the best way forward in relation to managing what is necessary in ensuring a balanced population and to have a balanced lifestyle,” he stated.

Michael D Higgins at the ploughing match on day one of the 2025 Ploughing. \ Claire Nash

Farm families

Addressing crowds following a visit to the ploughing match, President Higgins also said Ireland’s farm family model must be protected.

“There is a big distinction between actually being a farmer and being the owner of a farm, in one respect.

“A person who is a farmer knows what is involved in relation to husbandry, what is involved in relation to soils and what is involved in relation to the loss and renewal of nature.

“It’s a very, very different thing to own a succession of farms as part of your portfolio. I think there’s a hell of a difference.

“One of the things we should always be supporting are farm families, and if you support farm families you have to support the families that make up rural Ireland,” he said.