Delay in commission's report on generational renewal criticised

Agriland

a day ago

The delay in the release of the report from the Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming has been described as becoming 'as concerning as it is perplexing'.
The commission findings were expected to be published at the end of June, 2025, however so far have not been published.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association has stated that the delay means some recommendations cannot now be taken into account for Budget 2026.
President of the ICMSA, Denis Drennan said: "The net effect of this delay[is] the loss of another year when when it was more urgent than ever to address the most obvious obstacles to the generational renewal now emerging as the single most pressing concern all over the state and right across every sector.
'We can't understand it; the commission was reported to be on the verge of publishing its findings six weeks ago. What's the delay?
"What's the problem and why have we allowed the opportunity to at least make a start on these problems in Budget 2026 to slip by?
"It's inexplicable and poor and the net effect is that we all – as a sector – have lost another whole year at precisely the time when this question of succession and generational renewal is emerging as critical and demanding immediate attention," Drennan added.
The government has previously stated that the challenge of attracting young people into a career in farming is widely recognised, both at national and EU level.
"The family farm is the heart of agriculture in Ireland, but with only 7% of farmers under 35 years-of-age, and over 30% of farmers over 65, it is imperative that facilitating generational renewal remains a key priority," the government said.
The previous Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue established a Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming to adopt an objective, evidence-based approach, to examining the factors, legal, economic, social and administrative, that contribute to the current age demographics in the sector, and present policy options for consideration.
'We can't get the next generation into farming, and we've all identified more-or-less the same problems in our various submissions made last [February] and March," Denis Drennan continued.
"We don't have the time to lose and yet it looks very much like we've just lost effectively a whole year [until] we will be able to do something in a budget."
Drennan said that every single young farmer engaged with through the ICMSA Young Farmer Forum had laid out a list of obstacles to their entry into farming and all invariably started with financial uncertainty.
He said that while ICMSA was aware that not everything could be done in "one fell swoop", it was imperative that a start be made at least.
The farm organisation has previously appealed to see Budget 2026 introduce a tool or scheme to deal specifically with the income volatility that was putting off many young people from considering a career in farming.
'There was a commitment made last year to look at this, and it's the single biggest obstacle cited by the young people themselves," Drennan said.
"But it looks like the findings of the commission are going to be so late that it will be impossible for any of them to be taken into consideration for the Budget in October.
"ICMSA considers this a wasted opportunity, and we'd urge the commission – even at this very late stage – to publish their findings so that we can try and convince government to adopt the most urgent and necessary measures aimed at generational renewal."