Close to two-thirds of farmers want tighter regulations around the sale of land to non-farmers and investors.

An Irish Farmers Journal survey of 1,037 farmers found that 63% of respondents would be in favour of more regulation on the sale of agricultural land.

Of those in favour of tighter regulations, 68% said they wanted stricter rules to apply to non-farmers buying land.

Support for tighter regulations on land purchases is consistent across all the main farming enterprises.

Sixty-seven per cent of dairy farmers were in favour of stricter regulations, while 63% of both suckler and tillage farmers favoured such a move.

Support for stronger regulations stood at 62% of sheep farmers, but it dropped to 60% of cattle finishers.

Across the regions, farmers in Ulster were most in favour of tighter controls on the purchase of farmland, with 67% backing such a move.

Support in Munster and Leinster stood at 65% and 64%, respectively.

However, just 59% were in favour of tighter regulation in Connacht.

Backing for greater controls on the sale of agricultural land was fairly consistent across all the various age groups, although there was a slight drop among older farmers.

The proportion of farmers who were in favour of greater controls on agricultural lands sales ranged from 64% to 68% in the age brackets from 18 to 50.

However, support dropped to 62% for the 51 to 60 age group, and fell to 61% for those over 60 years of age.

Actions

When asked what action should be taken by Government to restrict the buying of land by non-farmers – especially the super-rich and investors – 68% of the 658 farmers who responded to this question said they wanted stricter rules to deter such purchases.

Just 10% of those surveyed wanted a cap on the amount of land an individual or company purchased.

A further 10% of farmers favoured a cap on the level of agricultural relief that is available on the inheritance of farmland. There is currently no upper limit, in value terms, on the level of agricultural relief available to those who inherit farmland.

Five per cent of respondents backed the introduction of a land tax to deter non-farming purchasers of land, while 6% favoured an increase in the stamp duty payable for large-scale land purchasers.