Fine Gael is being urged to create a “new partnership” with farmers which would include a national farm succession programme, a nitrates derogation taskforce and protection of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget.
The party’s National Agricultural, Food, and Rural Development Forum (NAFRD) has today (Thursday, May 16) today presented An Taoiseach Simon Harris with a five-point plan for his consideration.
Over the past two years, the group, chaired by former Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Eddie Downey, has held 16 public meetings across the country to hear the views of farmers, rural dwellers and business people.
During the Fine Gael Ard Fheis, the Taoiseach requested that NAFRD bring forward a report detailing a plan on how action could be taken on the feedback received.
Farmers
The NAFRD report covers five main areas: the future of CAP; farm succession; a reform of land leasing; climate and environmental issues; and protecting rural life.
NAFRD said that protecting the CAP budget must be a critical priority for Ireland, while a review should be carried out of farm payment redistribution mechanisms such as convergence and capping.
In a bid to reduce red tape and the burden on farmers, the group suggests one “overarching scheme that allow farmers of any farm type to select actions that best suit their farm”.
The payments should be made on a per hectare basis once a farmer completes a satisfactory number of actions.
NAFRD said this scheme should reduce emissions, while ensuring that farmers can continue to produce food.
The report points to the frustration caused by payment delays in recent months and calls for “necessary investments” in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) IT system.
In relation to farm succession, the group calls for the rollout of a national programme that supports farmers to avail of professional advice from solicitors, accountants, and financial advisors to support farms to create succession plans that are legally sound.
It adds that Fine Gael must commit to protecting current tax reliefs to ensure farms can be passed on viably.
The group recommends that the threshold for Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) be increased and that the legal standing of pre-nuptial agreements should be explored.
The report also suggests the introduction of a time limited mechanism to allow farmers seeking to retire or adjust their enterprise to sell any existing entitlements and divest of other farm assets without a corresponding tax liability.
NAFRD said that land leasing should be reformed, including the introduction of an upper per acre limit on the tax-free proportion offered for a long-term lease.
This would not impact the maximum amount a landowner could receive tax-free from long-term leasing which would remain unchanged.
“The upper limit could be introduced and slowly lowered over time to avoid disrupting existing leases and the normal operation of the market,” it said.
Nitrates
The report says that a taskforce should be established to retain Ireland’s nitrates derogation at the present arrangement of 250/220kg organic nitrogen (N)/ha.
“This will require commitment, action and partnership from Government, state agencies, local authorities, industry, and farm organisations,” it outlines.
NAFRD said that “every avenue” to improve water quality should be progressed ahead of the 2026 renewal date.
The group suggests a 70% grant aid for additional slurry storage, dedicated catchment programmes, farm-level advisory and action supports, and embracing actions under the bioeconomy and biomethane strategies.
In terms of protecting rural life, the report said that Fine Gael should “enshrine protections for one-off rural housing”, review impediments to planning permission and encourage the restoration of vacant or derelict buildings.
It adds that the issue of Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) on actively farmed land “must be settled on a permanent basis”.
Fine Gael
The NAFRD report will be now considered by Fine Gael in the formulation of future agricultural and rural policy.
Speaking at the launch of the document on a farm in Clane, Co. Kildare today, NAFRD chair Eddie Downey noted that agriculture is Ireland’s oldest and most important indigenous industry.
“I firmly believe there is a bright future for this sector. It will not be delivered by telling people what they want to hear or with business as usual.
“It will require listening to farmers and providing leadership in a collaborative rather than confrontational partnership,” he said.
Taoiseach Simon Harris thanked the forum for their work and said that he would consider the report “in detail”.
“They have listened to farmers across the country; to their concerns, to their ideas and put a plan in action.
“Fine Gael is the party of farmers. This party values the essential role farmers play in our economy and our society.
“We want to work with the farming community to address the challenges ahead and this policy charts a pathway forward,” he said.
The agri-food sector employs almost 170,000 people in Ireland, accounting for 6.5% of total employment.