Macra na Feirme has said that CAP and Department of Agriculture support for the it’s land mobility service will be required to ensure that the viability of the tool is retained and expanded.

“Driving quantifiable change regarding generational renewal is a must for the next CAP and we firmly believe that not directly supporting the Land Mobility Service will be a major missed opportunity for Irish agriculture,” Macra president John Keane said.

The comments were made during a hearing of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture on Wednesday where Keane also called for the elimination of the five-year rule in relation to young farmers.

“The rule limits the ability for young farmers under the age of 40 to access interventions. All young farmers are deserving of the same level of support up to the age of 40 across all CAP measures.”

Young farmer’s ringfence

Macra while recognising the commitment by the Department under current CAP for a provision of two percent young farmers, has called for greater ambition to be set.

“Four per cent of direct payments must be ringfenced for young farmers in order ensure the viability of farming in Ireland,” Keane continued, while noting that the recent round of negotiations at the EU level appear to be sliding to three percent of direct payments ringfenced for young farmers.

More of the same is not going to address the issue of generational renewal

“Increased funding for young farmers has been shown to generate far more for both the wellbeing of farmers and more widely in rural Ireland as these young farmers are more likely to spend in their local economy through investment.

“It is imperative that four percent of direct payments are ringfenced for young farmers. More of the same is not going to address the issue of generational renewal. It is time to make bold steps to ensure the future of farming, and four percent is the place to start.”