Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is correct that there is a block exemption, but as he will know, it is possible for him to go to the European Commission with a proposal if he so wishes. It is not, therefore, a viable argument for not removing the age threshold, which has been done in the case of agricultural relief. The objective, particularly in an era of climate action when the focus is on trying to reduce overall emissions, must be to encourage farmers to train and to deal with the issue of trying to reduce overall carbon emissions. The definition for the exemption should be altered to remove the age limit, and to ensure that farmers are trained and encouraged to train. For someone over the age of 35 who does not have the agricultural training, there is no incentive for him or her to get it. Given the challenges the agricultural sector will have to deal with over the next decade, however, such as issues with agricultural emissions including methane, there is an inbuilt incentive for the sector, the individual farmer and the economy as a whole to have the training and to drive the change on farm. We have seen evidence of that in the smart farming initiative, where clear measures taken by farmers on suckler, beef and dairy herds, as well as in the sheep sector, have led to an average reduction of 10% in emissions, which is significant.

We should try to encourage farmers to get the training and education. I ask the Minister to reconsider the age limit.

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