Addressing the Macra Rally in Cork on Saturday, Commissioner Hogan praised the Macra movement and the work it does on behalf of young farmers in Ireland.

“Macra has been a mainstay of Irish rural life for generations, and will continue to be so for generations to come,” the Commissioner said.

“Since being appointed Commissioner, I have travelled widely throughout the EU, meeting Young Farmers Organisations in a variety of regions and agricultural contexts. And I'm always proud to tell them that their Irish counterparts, of which I was a member myself, have a number of excellent initiatives that they could learn from,” he added.

Access to finance

Hogan recognised the difficulties young farmers have in accessing finance and said he is trying to address this problem at a European level.

“Accessing finance remains the greatest obstacle for many young farmers' development. We're fully aware of this at Commission level, and we're looking at a variety of options.

“The Commission and the European Investment Bank have signed a special Memorandum of Understanding to develop financial instruments. The design will reflect the need for preferable conditions for young farmers as well as price volatility in repayment schemes,” Commissioner Hogan said.

Social media

Hogan also took the opportunity to appeal to Rally delegates to help boost his social media figures.

“I have nothing but fond memories of my own days with Macra UCC, and I'm glad to hear the branch is still going strong.

“In fact, Macra UCC has nearly 1,200 Facebook ‘likes’, while Macra itself has north of 5,000. I'm well behind on 800 'likes' – ye might give me a few clicks,” Hogan joked.