Written answers

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Agriculture Industry

Photo of Conor McGuinnessConor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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107. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether it is time for a radical policy shift to maintain young farmers (details supplied) in view of the fact the number of farm holders under 35 years-of-age has decreased by nearly a third in the past 12 years. [55010/25]

Photo of Martin HeydonMartin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The challenge of attracting young people into a career in farming is widely recognised, both at national and EU level. Demographic challenges for the agricultural sector are not unique to Ireland – our statistics, which show that 4.35% of farmers are under 35 years of age, and over 37% are over 65, similar to EU average figures. Supporting young farmers and facilitating generational renewal is therefore critical to ensuring a bright future for the agri-food sector.

Food Vision 2030, the stakeholder-led strategy for the agri-food sector, highlights the challenge of generational renewal and proposes several actions, including maintaining the current strong level of support, the promotion of succession planning & land mobility, and increased education and promotion of the diversity of careers in the agri-food sector.

There are a number of supports for generational renewal currently available to farmers under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. These supports are complemented by a suite of strong national taxation measures, access to finance supports, as well as advisory and education & training supports..

Farm succession is a complex issue and there are many factors that impact farmers’ decisions. The Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming was established to examine these issues. The Commission has produced a thorough analysis and made 31 recommendations across a wide range of areas, including CAP Supports, Pensions, Taxation, Access to Finance, Access to Land, Collaborative Arrangements, Advisory Services, Education and Training, Gender Balance and the Overall Attractiveness of the Sector.

The recent Budget takes the first steps towards addressing the Commission’s recommendations with a view to supporting the next generation of farmers. The Budget ensures that a number of critical taxation measures remain in place, for example Agricultural Relief which facilitates succession and the intergenerational transfer of farms. This important relief delivers approximately €230 million annually in tax supports to farm families making the significant decision to transfer their land to the younger generation.

The 100% Young Trained Farmer Stamp Duty Relief is another vital support for young farmers valued at around €20 million annually. In line with the Commission’s recommendation to bring more certainty to succession planning, the relief will be extended by four years instead of the normal three years for such measures.

Farm Restructuring (CGT) relief supports the reduction of farm fragmentation, which makes farms more efficient, contributing to both economic and environmental sustainability, and this is matched with a complementary Stamp Duty for Farm Consolidation relief. Both of these reliefs will be extended by four years.

These are the immediate taxation measures in response to the report by the Commission on Generational Renewal. An implementation team in my Department will work on the recommendations of the Commission. While some recommendations are for consideration and progress in the context of the next CAP, others can be progressed in a shorter time frame.

Attracting the next generation of farmers is critical to ensure that the agri-food sector remains vibrant and sustainable into the future and this analysis ensures that we have a comprehensive, well-considered foundation for future policy on generational renewal.

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