Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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264. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to introducing a voluntary individual income volatility initiative to allow farmers deposit a defined percentage of profits to a fund in a good year and withdraw funds during poor years (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29036/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government includes a commitment to, "Consider further taxation measures to manage evolving issues such as market volatility". While taxation policy is primarily the responsibility of the Minister for Finance, our two Departments work closely to ensure it is consistent with the Government's priorities for the agrifood sector. Therefore, my Department will be engaging with the Department of Finance on this issue, which has previously been considered.

An analysis of proposals for an income stabilisation tool was published as part of Budget 2019 and is available at:

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to extending tax relief on the leasing of farmland to include agreements between parents and children who are young trained farmers up to 30 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29038/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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While taxation policy is primarily the responsibility of the Minister for Finance, our two Departments work closely to ensure it is consistent with the Government's priorities for the agrifood sector. The ‘Agri-taxation Review’ put in place a comprehensive taxation strategy for the sector with specific policy objectives to increase the mobility and the productive use of land; assist succession; and complement wider agriculture policies and schemes.

The “Exemption of Certain Income from Leasing of Farmland” measure encourages longer-term leases of farmland, thereby increasing the mobility and the productive use of land. While leases between family members are not eligible for this relief, it should be noted that there is a wide range of measures to assist succession and the transfer of family farms such as: Stamp Duty Consanguinity Relief; Stamp Duty Exemption on Transfers of Land to Young Trained Farmers; Agricultural Relief from Capital Acquisitions Tax and Retirement Relief from Capital Gains Tax, all of which support transfers of land between parents and children. Also, the Succession Farm Partnerships Scheme provides an income tax incentive to encourage farmers to transfer the farm business to their identified farming successor or successors.