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The persistently low level of young farmers entering farming is a concern for the future of European agriculture and rural areas according to a report titled ‘generational renewal in the EU farms of the future.’   Welcoming the production of the report, Macra president Elaine Houlihan said “to address the crisis in Irish and European agriculture, young farmers need be front and centre to all agricultural policy and budgetary decisions.  We need to move from talking and reporting about the lack of young farmers to achieving action and putting greater resources behind the issue.”  The report by the EU Parliament Agriculture...

Published 11th July, 2022 Meeting with Jackie Cahill T.D. Macra na Feirme recently met with Deputy Jackie Cahill to highlight a number of issues affecting young farmers and the challenges and opportunities that face young people in the sector. The meeting took place in Dublin, the main topics that were discussed were access to Land for young people and the role that The Land Mobility Service can play in facilitating land transfer to younger people and the assurances needed to secure long term funding for the service. Macra na Feirme representative also highlighted the need for a just transition in...

The Agricultural Affairs committee is a sub-committee of Macra's National Council, made up of National Council Representatives and co-options from the counties and regions across the country and across farming sectors. The Agricultural Affairs committee (2022 - 2023) is led by Liam Hanrahan (chair), Patrick Collins (vice-chair) and Stephanie Blewitt (PRO), who work alongside John Keane, his presidential team and all other committee members to represent Macra members across the country. The Agricultural Affairs committee raise member's concerns to Council, lobby public representatives and form policy documents, with the overarching goal of increasing the number of young people farming and involved in...

In recent weeks Macra na Feirme has engaged in a nationwide consultation with its members on the topic of rural housing and planning.   The preliminary findings from this consultation have highlighted three major issues with rural housing and planning namely, lack of consistency across local authorities both in terms of planning requirements and cost associated with planning, delays in planning approval relating to minor aesthetic features and divergences relating to the implementation of local area plans.   In light of the pandemic and the associated evolution in working arrangements, attendees also highlighted the importance of ensuring that infrastructure in rural areas is comparable with services in larger urban settings.   Issues such as...