Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2017
516. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports which are being put in place by his Department for farmer welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21493/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra520. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the term "farmer burnout"; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that this is a common diagnosis by general practitioners; if mechanisms are being put in place by his Department to assist farmers who are overworked, underpaid and cannot afford to pay persons to help them on the farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21521/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 520 together.
I am fully aware of the significant work demands on farmers and my Department and I have worked hard to provide support and encouragement for collaborative farming arrangements, both family and non-family, for example: by establishing a register of formal farm partnerships, with supports for the establishment costs of partnerships available from the Collaborative Farming Scheme under the RDP; and by addressing perceived administrative barriers to putting farms in the joint names of husband and wife. In addition, tax changes over the last three Budgets have provided a comprehensive set of supports to encourage early farm transfer, long term leasing and partnership arrangements:
- Tax treatment of agricultural assets means that the family farm can be transferred on to the younger generation without any tax liability arising in almost all cases.
- Generous incentives apply to encourage farmland to be leased out in long term lease arrangement, rather than the conacre (11 month) system, allowing for proper planning and investment in relation to leased land.
- The Succession Farm Partnership scheme will promote the earlier inter-generational transfer of family farms, in line with Programme for Government commitments and the Food Wise strategy. It will encourage and support important conversations within farm families about succession planning. This Scheme provides for a €25,000 tax credit over five years to assist with the transfers of farms within a partnership structure. Administrative arrangements are being finalised and I will launch the Succession Farm Partnership Register shortly.
As a result of these efforts, we are starting to see more young people taking over farms, whether through family transfers, family and non-family partnership arrangements, and other collaborative arrangements.
The latest client data from my Department does suggest that, finally, we now have more farmers under the age of 35 than over the age of 80 – and while this represents progress, there is obviously a lot more to be done. Many farmers don’t want to retire fully, and I understand and respect that wish. What we need is arrangements that work for both the older farmer and the new generation. I think it is important to reflect the fact that most farms are family businesses, where the skills and talents of all family members, particularly farm women, can contribute to building viable businesses for the future. We are all sadly aware of the issue of farm safety, and I hope that encouraging collaborative arrangements will help to reduce the risk of accidents on farm.
In addition my Department is a member of the Farm Safety Partnership Committee and as part of the current and previous Farm safety Action Plans, programmes have been and are being implemented to promote the health of farmers. One such element was the publication of a booklet entitled: Staying Fit for Farming. This booklet was distributed as part of the FBD champions for change campaign, and it is intended to print a further run of the booklets. The booklet has been made available to facilitators of Knowledge Transfer groups on the "Farm Safety key" memory stick.
