Productive land is being tied up in 'long term leases' committee told
Pressure on land leases is "growing rapidly" especially from the energy sector, the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food heard today (Wednesday, March 4).
Daniel Long, co-founder of the Irish Land Observatory Stakeholder Group, also told TDs and senators today that "control of land now extends far beyond who holds the freehold".
The Oireachtas committee met to discuss the availablility and use of land currently in Ireland.
The Irish Land Observatory Stakeholder Group has previously raised concerns about the issue of corporate purchases of land in this country.
Long pointed in particular today to the solar, wind and biogas sectors.
"In some cases, productive agricultural land is being tied up in long term leases – effectively removing it from the farming pool for decades.
"So even without outright sale, we see a new form of consolidation taking shape – one that restricts land mobility and further limits opportunities for young farmers to get established," he outlined.
Observatory
Long believes a new "European Land Observatory" would create access to "independent, trusted data" that is currently lacking in Ireland.
"Questions that seem simple – who owns the land?
"How much remains with family farms? How quickly is ownership consolidating – are ones we actually cannot answer with confidence today," he told the committee.
According to Long a new observatory could "provide neutral ground" and created a shared set of facts, allowing farmers, policymakers, and environmental stakeholders to discuss land use on the "basis of evidence, not speculation or ideology".
The co-founder of the Irish Land Observatory Stakeholder Group also told the Oireachtas committee that the term "family farm" is used "extremely literally" in this country without a full understanding of what make it different from industrial farms.
"I believe we are at a critical crossroads.
"The direction we choose will determine whether Europe's agricultural identity continues to be rooted in family farms and community-based production, or shifts toward large-scale, corporate-style holdings that prioritise returns over resilience," Long warned.
He is urging the Irish government to adapt the "Safer" model that has been championed by the French government.
According to Long this is a system that monitors and, when necessary, "intervenes to prevent excessive concentration of land ownership".
