Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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675. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the need to commit to multi-annual funding in the region of €1.5 million per annum through the rural development programme to enable the farm mobility programme to cover the entire country and ensure a national footprint for the programme. [60457/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The challenge of generational renewal is widely recognised both at national and EU level with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) citing it as one of its nine key objectives.

Food Vision 2030, the new strategy for the agri-food sector, also highlights the challenge of generational renewal and proposes a number of actions to address this issue including the promotion of land mobility and succession planning.

The Land Mobility Service (LMS) has proven itself important in the delivery of land mobility and access to land through assisting collaborative arrangements.

It has been supported by my Department over the last number of years with funding of €27,000 between 2014 and 2016, and €50,000 per annum for the five years 2017 to 2021. To the end of 2019, over 520 arrangements covering approximately 19,000 hectares had been facilitated.

In recognition of this, my Department is engaged with the Land Mobility Service on potential future support and I have just announced a 100% increase in the funding for next year to €100,000. The Deputy may be aware that the Land Mobility Service also receives funding from the wider sector and a contribution from land-owners and farmers.

My Department is considering how best to support this programme into the future and is actively engaging on the best approach to take.