Tim Cullinan, IFA president

President of the IFA Tim Cullinan. \ Philip Doyle

“This is a very emotive issue for farm families. We will be studying the legislation closely when it comes before the Oireachtas.

“The update from Minister Butler is welcome, and we will be examining the detail.

“The scheme, as it stands, is fundamentally unfair. It is bringing huge stress and worry on farm families, placing a question over farm viability while they wait on the Government to act.”

Pat McCormack, ICMSA president

ICMSA president Pat McCormack. \ Philip Doyle

“The existing procedure discriminated drastically against farm families trying to access Fair Deal and it’s to their credit that most politicians and commentators recognised that.

“If we are to ensure relatively debt-free succession and get our next generation of farmers on to holdings that are viable, then we can’t attack their working basis in the way that the ‘old’ regulations did.”

Dermot Kelleher, ICSA president

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher at home on his farm near Inchigeela, Co Cork. \ Donal O'Leary

“It is an absolute scandal that the resolution to the Fair Deal scheme has been dragged out for so long. The three-year cap was approved by the Government in 2018 and any calculation of the three years should apply from back then and it should be of retrospective benefit to families who exceed the three years in the period 2018 to date.”

Jackie Cahill, Oireachtas agriculture committee chair

Jackie Cahill, Oireachtas agriculture committee chair.

“By introducing a three-year cap on financial contributions based on farm or business assets, these legislative amendments will finally make the Fair Deal fairer and more accessible to farming families and small business owners.”