New rules could block succession

The rise in the pension age to 68 will leave more future farmers landless until their 40s, said the authors of a new land mobility and succession report.

They advised that most young farmers seeking land may need to look beyond the family farm, initially at least, and if farmers wait until 66 to transfer, (rising to 68), management control and ownership would come too late for the next generation.

It is becoming impossible to contemplate farm transfer in advance of the older farmer reaching retirement age (qualification for state pension), according to the report, which was commissioned by Macra na Feirme in partnership with the IFA, the Irish Farmer’s Journal and the Department of Agriculture.