Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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726. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average age of those persons working in the farming sector; the initiatives that are being taken on board by his Department in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11941/17]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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727. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the number of farmers leaving farming due to lack of supports by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11942/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 726 and 727 together.

The CSO's 2013 Farm Structures Survey indicated that approximately 37,700 or 27% of Irish farmers are over 65 years and 8,200 (6%) aged under 35. A full age breakdown can be found as follows. These figures compare with Eurostat data for 2013, which showed that 31% of all EU farm holders were over 65 and 6% are aged under 35.

Age of Farm Holder

The CSO's 2010 Census of Agriculture shows that in 2010 there were 139,860 farms in Ireland. This figure is compared to 141,527 farms in 2000, a decrease of 1.2% in ten years.  The 2013 Farm Structures Survey also carried out by the CSO puts the number of farms in Ireland at 139,600, a reduction of just 260 from the 2010 figures.

There are a number of tax measures specifically aimed at young farmers, specifically ‘100% Stock Relief on Income Tax for Certain Young Trained Farmers’ and ‘Stamp Duty Exemption on Transfers of Land to Young Trained Farmers’. The Agri-taxation Review was published as part of Budget 2015 and set out the main policy objectives for continuing support through agri-taxation measures including:

- Increasing land mobility and the productive use of land

- Assisting succession and the transfer of farms.

Both objectives are especially relevant to young farmers and Budget 2015 included a number of new measures in this regard, as well as measures to enhance and strengthen the existing supports.

In addition I recently announced that the ‘Succession Farm Partnership Scheme’ has been approved and administrative arrangements are being finalised for its commencement this year. The Scheme provides for a €25,000 tax credit over five years to assist with the transfers of farms within a partnership structure and will promote the earlier inter-generational transfer of family farms. It will encourage and support important conversations within farm families about succession planning.