The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue, has brought a Statement of Strategy and an Action Plan to Cabinet today detailing five goals to support farm incomes, the environment and wider economy.
The new ten-year agri-food strategy will include the establishment of an independent body to examine how to support and boost farm incomes.
The development of a new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan will be developed over the summer.
The government hopes to provide a policy that protects incomes, ensures that food produced here is of the highest quality and is environmentally sustainable.
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Who’s taking over?
Fewer than a quarter of farmers have decided who should take over their farms.
A survey of 1,700 farmers by agribusiness firm, IFAC found farmers of all ages are continuing to put off succession planning, with almost one in three saying their farm business is not viable enough.
Over 70 per cent of farmers say they want online buying and selling of animals in marts to continue into the future.
IFAC Head of Farm Supports, Philip O’Connor says a lack of planning around who should take over the family farm is an ongoing issue:
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And finally . . .
Farmers and advisors are being reminded that the deadline for submission of applications to the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme and Dairy Beef pilot is 26 April.
Applications for both schemes must be completed online through agfood.ie.
