Teagasc guide for farm partnerships available
The guide highlights numerous benefits associated with farm partnerships, ranging from improved financial performance to enhanced quality of life and safety, found in a three-year study of Irish partnerships of fathers and sons, neighbouring farmers, brothers, brothers-in-law, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, and husbands and wives.
“Farm partnerships can be established to accommodate a wide variety of circumstances, needs, preferences and aspirations,” said Teagasc sociologist Dr Áine Macken-Walsh. They have enabled farmers to maintain the value and style of family farming, while achieving additional scale and expertise for more profitable and sustainable farming.
Dr Macken-Walsh said, “Farmers can be very knowledgeable of legal issues relating to ownership and they were aware that establishing a farm partnership does not infringe on these rights.”
A consultative approach with wider members of farm families is recommended.
There are almost 600 milk production partnerships currently in operation.
“There is substantial opportunity for Irish farmers to engage in other types of production partnerships, as well as in a wide variety of other joint farming ventures”, according to Teagasc farm structures specialist Ben Roche.
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has strongly encouraged farm families to consider farm partnerships which can formed by any two or more farmers, and their families, and can be registered with the Revenue Commissioners for tax purposes.
His department is examining ways of formally recognising how farm partnerships can access departmental and other schemes.
