Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 937, 938 and 941 together.

Supporting young farmers and facilitating generational renewal is critical to ensuring a bright future for the agri-food sector. 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.

My Department is implementing targeted supports for farmers provided in the largest ever (€10 billion) CAP Strategic Plan, including:

• Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers, using some 3% of the direct payments ceiling (€1.186 billion). An amount of €35 million will be provided in support of young farmers each year from 2023 to 2027, which will result in payments of an average of €175 per hectare, subject to a maximum of 50 hectares, over the five years of the scheme to help young farmers establish their businesses.
• A National Reserve 2023-2027 will provide support to two priority categories of Young Farmer and New Farmer.
• Higher grant rates of 60% under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).
• Collaborative Farming Grant to encourage established farmers to form partnerships with young, trained farmers.
• A Succession Planning Advice Grant to encourage and support farmers aged 60 years and over to seek succession planning advice.

I will continue to work nationally and in the EU for all farmers, including younger farmers, and will continue to ensure that generational renewal remains a priority. Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy, developed for the sector, by the sector, also recognises the importance of generational renewal.

Strong agri-taxation measures facilitate generational renewal and assist land mobility, and are worth some €300 million per annum. Agricultural Relief is the key measure, along with Stamp Duty reliefs.

Specifically in relation to access to finance, young farmers have benefited from a series of Government-backed loan schemes over recent years. The new €500 million Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme is a viable and attractive source of finance for young, new entrant farmers and smaller-scale farmers, as loans of less than €500,000 do not require security.

Teagasc is the primary provider of accredited further (vocational) education and training for the agricultural sector. Teagasc’s education activities focuses on equipping young farmers with the necessary knowledge to build successful agricultural careers.

While acknowledging that there are significant variations across sectors, family farm incomes have increased for the fourth year in a row, with average incomes up 32% in 2022 to €45,809, despite significant increases in input costs.

I will continue to support all sectors of primary agriculture to ensure that our Food Vision 2030 ambitions of economic, environmental and social sustainability are achieved.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The challenge of generational renewal is widely recognised at both national and EU level, and indeed as a global challenge for agriculture. To ensure that the agri-food sector remains strong and sustainable into the future, consultation with young farmers in the policy development process will continue to be a key priority for me and for the Government.

Food Vision 2030 is our shared 10-year stakeholder strategy for the agri-food sector, and it emphasises the importance of young farmers and generational renewal. It proposes maintaining the current strong level of support, promoting succession planning and land mobility, increasing education and training, and promoting the diversity of careers in the sector. In developing a long-term sustainable future for primary producers, addressing generational renewal and gender equality will be essential, to ensure that the vital contribution of young people, both male and female, is acknowledged and supported, assisting in improving the long-term sustainability of the agri-food sector in this country.

I will continue to actively engage with all agriculture stakeholders, and to ensure the participation of young people and women in the future of agriculture. I recognise and value the important role that young farmer representative groups such as Macra play in advocating for and encouraging its 10,000 strong membership of 17-35 year olds to take an active role in the farming sector. I was delighted to be asked to open and address Macra’s recent annual conference and I engage with them on an ongoing basis.

Internationally, my Department funded 91 youth delegates from 46 developing countries to attend this year’s World Food Forum, including seven young Irish people from the Irish agri-food sector. The World Food Forum is an independent, youth-led global network of partners facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It aims to spark a global movement that empowers young people everywhere to actively shape agri-food systems to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and a better food future for all.

I will continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholder groups and representative bodies when formulating future policy, including the hugely important voices of young and women farmers.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 940 and 942 together.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 cites generational renewal as one of its nine key objectives, which reflects the need to ensure a vibrant agricultural sector equipped with skilled and innovative young farmers to respond to societal demands for quality food and environmental public goods. Through our CAP Strategic Plan, Ireland has provided strong support for younger farmers in the period to 2027.

Some of the challenges outlined in the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development's Report include access to land, access to finance, retirement and attracting young people into the sector. Recommendations suggest the development of coherent and long-term strategies to promote generational change and increase the attractiveness of working in agriculture.

Food Vision 2030, Ireland's stakeholder-led strategy for the agri-food sector, highlights the challenge of generational renewal. It recognises that there are a range of measures in place that support younger and older farmers and facilitate generational renewal, and that these need to be maintained. As well as CAP, there is also a range of strong national supports in Ireland.

For example, there are a number of strong taxation measures to facilitate succession and assist land mobility. As regards succession, Agricultural Relief is the key measure, which, along with Young Farmers Stamp Duty Relief and Consanguinity Stamp Duty Relief, provided support of some €274 million in 2022. I was delighted to secure the extension of these in the recent budget for 2024. In addition, 100% Stock Relief for Young Trained Farmers was worth €1.7 million. The Succession Farm Partnership Scheme provides for a €25,000 tax credit over five years to further assist the transfer of land within a partnership structure, and was worth €1 million.

For land mobility, long-term leasing income tax reliefsupports access to land for young farmers and provides a route to retirement for older farmers. Latest figures show €34.3 million for 12,490 beneficiaries.

In Budget 2024, I was delighted to work with my colleague the Minister for Finance to renew Consanguinity Relief for a further five years. In addition, in the Budget, the aggregate lifetime amount of relief that a young farmer can get from the Young-Trained Farmers Stamp Duty Relief, Young-Trained Farmers Stock Relief and the Succession Farm Partnerships Tax Credit, increased from €70,000 to €100,000.

The €500 million Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme will facilitate strategic investment by SMEs, including farmers, fishers and food businesses, to ensure their continued viability and sustainability into the future. One of the unique characteristics of the Scheme is that loans up to €500,000 are unsecured, making it a viable source of finance for young and new entrant farmers, especially the cohort who do not have high levels of security.

In addition, all of Teagasc’s education activities equip our young farmers with the necessary knowledge to build successful careers.

Supporting young farmers and new entrants in agriculture will ensure a strong and sustainable sector into the future, and will remain a priority for me and for the Government.