Seanad debates

Wednesday, 2 July 2003

Common Agricultural Policy: Statements.

 

We have to look at encouraging young farmers. Continuing to talk down farming is like talking about a hospital – talk it down and it will close itself. Talk down farming and there will be no young farmers. In the past I argued against the IFA on the deal struck on the farm retirement scheme when it was introduced. It looked all right on paper but it was not index linked. Where is it now? When young farmers took over the farms from their parents, their fathers took a pension at that time but because it was not index linked, they are still on the pension they were on when they took it out. That has to be examined in terms of encouraging the farmers who own farms to hand them over. The age profile of farmers was mentioned earlier and if we want young, active, green-cert trained farmers to take over, we have to make sure that there is an income there for them, which no doubt there will be. We also want to ensure that the farmer, the father, the uncle, or whoever is handing over the farm, will have a pension adequate to meet his needs.

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