Mr. John Keane:

I welcome the Deputy outlining his concerns about the position of the young farmers. I referred to that previously, but I will reinforce where young farmers are coming from and touch on the Deputy's point. We find it wholly unacceptable that a young farmer who has taken up farming in the last number of years, has made significant investment and has future ambitions to develop the farming enterprise might be across the ditch from or is leasing land from someone who is not actively and continually engaged in farming or who has ceased farming for a number of years but who continues to draw entitlements based on active work that is over 20 years old. If one looks at any business sector across the rest of the economy, I doubt that it could be justified at any stage.

The Deputy referred to the definition of the active farmer. As young farmers, we are used to being defined. I mentioned earlier the limitations that exist in terms of the definition of the five-year rule. As regards what our definition is of an active farmer, to be delivered under the next CAP, we have submitted this on numerous occasions to the Department. In terms of the payments granted for the delivery of public goods, the mandatory completion of health and safety programmes and the implementation of minimal agricultural activity, for example, stocking rates and cropping rates set by each member state, a point we have made many times over the last number of years to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is based on a report which we commissioned in 2017 and 2018 on delivering a continuous professional development programme for farmers to engage with. That framework needs to be established.

Through it, we can monitor the training and development of farmers.

The issue of succession planning has been mentioned. We are strong advocates for the development of a succession scheme that delivers for older and younger farmers and links with what we have been promoting in recent years through our Land Mobility Service, which is a collaborative partnership approach. The penalising nature of previous schemes was mentioned, in that the older farmer could not appear outside the farm gate or else his or her payments would be threatened. That is not a way forward and does not proactively encourage younger and older farmers.

The issue of capping payments was touched on briefly. Macra na Feirme supports the €60,000 cap with the proviso that it takes into account the labour units incurred on the farm. For young farmers who are taking over and developing farms, particularly at this time, it is important to know how the growth and development of the business will be supported through payments. Applying a simple cap of €60,000 without taking cognisance of the impact it might have on the financial viability of the enterprise is a proposal that needs to be addressed.

The Deputy's final comments were on ensuring the future and how the budget was not enough. We agree that the overall CAP budget has not been enough, but that is the hand we have been dealt. We must ensure that there is a future for young farmers and that supports are ring-fenced.