Installation aid, access to finance and the definition of an active farmer were some of the key issues that young farmers raised at the Macra na Feirme CAP 2020 consultation meeting in Navan on Wednesday night.

The key issue raised on the definition of the active farmer was older farmers drawing both a single farm payment and an old age pension. Young farmers at the meeting said that the definition should focus more around efficiencies in land use and productivity, education and minimum stocking rates. The suggestion of capping the age of an active farmer was also floated.

Access to finance was another issue raised, particularly for those without collateral. Promotion of shared farming through the CAP was suggested as one solution. However, attendees were largely against a shift towards the low interest rate loan model as a means for distributing funds, though the level of understanding of such a process was mixed throughout the room.

Pillars

In logistical terms, there was calls for payments to come in times of troughs in cashflow.

Young farmers were largely in favour of moving more funds from pillar one to pillar two, which would result in more labour-saving grants and more a precise focus on improvements in efficiency. However, co-funding and buy-in from the Government was raised as an issue.

For example, in the area of smart farming and precision agriculture, levels of access to the latest innovations could be limited by farm size and capital when compared to international counterparts and it was suggested that pillar two could be used to subsidise that. Other suggestions for use of money under pillar two included incentives for soil sampling and correcting nutrient deficiencies as well as initiatives to encourage land mobility. Grants for anaerobic digesters were floated as a means to address the greenhouse gas issue, as well as generate extra income on farms.

The floor also called for the National Reserve to be guaranteed.

Macra president Seán Finan said that his was the first organization to embark on the CAP consultation process and that they really want to hear the views of young farmers and would encourage as many as possible to attend one of the upcoming consultation evenings.

“CAP 2020 will shape the future in farming for this generation of young farmers and this is the ideal opportunity for them to have their say,” Finan said.

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