Inaction on Land Mobility and changes to nitrates banding - driving out any opportunity for young people

At Macra’s National Conference which was held on the 29th of October this year, Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie Mc Conalogue gave a commitment to increasing the support for the Land Mobility Service subject to a submission by Macra, as to what was required to support and develop the service.

Land access remains one of the biggest barriers to young people who want to start and access farming as a career opportunity.

Macra national president John Keane said “his organisation submitted a detailed proposal that would see the service develop and have national coverage to assist farm transfers and land arrangements. The service has been established for over seven years and has been highlighted at an EU level as a model for other Member States to follow to support generational renewal.”

In the recent days we have also seen land lease prices exceeding €500/acre as the pressure comes on farmers as a result of changes to the nitrates banding rules.

“Inaction on Land Mobility support and the changes to the nitrates banding is further driving out opportunity for young people in the sector. Young people simply cannot compete with well-established farmers who have the resources to pay higher prices for land” said the young farmer president.

The land mobility Service has been identified as a tool that can be used to allow young people gain access to land to start farming and to grow an enterprise.

Mr. Keane concluded by saying “Macra has provided solutions to this issue in the form of the Land Mobility Service, what is needed now is the Minister to honour his commitment and provide the funding."

Date of Press Release:Wednesday 14th December 2022.