Waiting until the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2028 for new supports for generational renewal in farming "risks leaving young farmers behind".

Macra has said that 2028 "is too late" as it demanded urgent action.

Speaking at the Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) AGM this week, Macra president Josephine O'Neill questioned Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon on what measures his department plans to introduce in the short-term to support young farmers.

O'Neill raised concerns about the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement and the stark statistics on generational renewal.

The minister said that taxation is the single greatest support to generational renewal.

'Not enough'

While acknowledging the role taxation measures can play, O’Neill said that taxation alone "is not enough to address the scale of the challenge facing generational renewal in Irish farming".

 “Taxation supports are important, but they cannot be the only answer," the Macra president said.

"We need far more work to normalise conversations around succession at farm level and to actively encourage and support families to plan for the future."

'Young farmers need certainty'

O’Neill emphasised that the recommendations already made by the Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming "must be accelerated and implemented well before 2028".

 “The tools, research and recommendations already exist," she continued.

O'Neill has stressed that without immediate action, Ireland "risks losing an entire generation of potential farmers".

 “If we are serious about food security, rural vitality and the future of farming, then generational renewal must move from rhetoric to action," she said.

"Waiting until the next CAP risks leaving young farmers behind."