Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Burke for raising a critical issue for the future of our sector. The programme for Government prioritises "Supporting inter-generational farm succession". Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agrifood sector, states generational renewal in farming is critically important to ensure the future viability and social sustainability of the Irish agrifood sector and of rural Ireland. There are a number of supports for generational renewal currently available to farmers under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. These supports are complemented by a suite of strong national taxation measures and access to finance supports, as well as advisory and education and training supports. Farm succession is a complex issue and there are many factors that impact farmers’ decisions. The Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming was established to examine these issues. In the course of this work a public consultation was carried out. As part of this consultation, 31 written submissions were received and the commission subsequently met a number of stakeholders, including the main farming organisations. Further details of the consultation can be found in the published report, which runs to 180 pages.

The commission has produced a thorough analysis and made 31 recommendations across a wide range of areas, including CAP supports, pensions, taxation, access to finance, access to land, collaborative arrangements, advisory services, education and training, gender balance and the overall attractiveness of the sector. An implementation group within my Department will carefully consider these recommendations. This group will continue this collaborative approach and will engage with agricultural stakeholders and the relevant public bodies. Attracting the next generation of farmers is critical to ensure the agrifood sector remains vibrant and sustainable into the future and the analysis provided by the Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming ensures we have a comprehensive, well-considered foundation for future policy on generational renewal.

In my engagement with Commissioner Hansen of DG AGRI, he took a great interest in our report. He wanted to wait to publish his own policy until he saw our point of view and it is an area he has a huge passion for.

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