One third (33%) of respondents said they hadn’t had a conversation, while 18% felt the question didn’t relate to their situation. Of those who answered yes, 22% initiated the conversation themselves, while 28% said their parents initiated it.

“While it is encouraging that half of the young farmers surveyed had discussed succession with their parents, Macra wants all young people pursuing a career in farming to discuss their future with their parents,” said Macra national president Sean Finan. “Based upon these figures, we are very concerned that one third of young farmers are rudderless in terms of their career progression.”

“Reaching consensus within the family is paramount to the successful transition from one generation to the next and vital for harmonious relations between all family members,” added Mr Finan.

The Macra Land Mobility Service is featured in the Irish Farmers Journal weekly.

The young farmer survey is conducted by Macra na Feirme on an annual basis. Of the 295 respondents, 225 were male. One third of respondents were full-time farmers and one third were part-time farmers, while 6.3% were farm employees and 17.6% were students of agriculture.

In a sector-by-sector breakdown, 46% were beef farmers, 21% dairy, 6% tillage and 1% pigs.