The bould tenant farmer now lives in Belgium

THE “tenant farmer” has unfortunate connotations in Ireland – which is probably why more Irish farmers own their land than in any other EU country. Across the 15 member states, the proportion of farmer-owned farm land ranges from 31% in Belgium to 86% in Ireland.

The average is 59%.

Even within countries, there is tremendous variation. In France, up to 80% of northern farmers rent their land, but southern farmers are more likely to own it.