The farm partnership register scheme was established in April 2015 following the end of milk quota regulations. As quotas were no longer in effect, the legal basis for the old register of milk production partnerships ceased to exist – hence those partnerships were void.

The new scheme has proved to be popular, with more than 1,000 farm partnerships registered to date. Of that figure, 550 were also on the previous register.

Therefore, despite the high number of partnerships registered, only a minority are from other enterprises such as beef or tillage.

Farm succession

Austin Finn, who manages Macra na Feirme's Land Mobility Service, described the register as a “phenomenonal success” and gave “major credit to the Department of Agriculture for establishing the register. It just gives partnerships a sounder footing that they have a register and that both parties – be it a father and son or daughter or two farmers coming together – are all recognised within a partnership.”

He said that in the family setting the partnership can be an “excellent mechanism”, as it “facilitates the succession of the farm”.

Administrative delays

He added that in some cases it can work outside the family: “We’ve been involved in a number of cases where a dairy neighbour and a suckler neighbour have linked together.”

Although partnership registration has been successful, there have been a number of issues regarding completed applications and payments. Finn said such delays were unfortunate but “because it’s new, there have been administrative delays and hopefully that will be sorted shortly”.

Despite the backlog, Minister for Agriculture Simon Conveney expressed satisfaction at the process, describing it as “operating efficiently and effectively”.

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