Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Dr. Meredith mentioned that farmers are inheriting landholdings at a much older age. Does this not contravene the Department's policy of incentivising farmers to hand over to their younger relatives as early as possible? During the past 25 to 30 years, the Department, under various Governments, along with farming organisations, have encouraged farmers to hand their farms over when their successors are in their 20s rather than in their 40s. There seems to be a contradiction between policy and what is actually happening.