Big jump in long term leasing despite overcharging allegations

A move away from conacre towards long-term leasing has been welcomed — but young farmers have led a campaign against landowners overcharging for leases.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said last week that the move from conacre towards long-term leasing is one of the great successes quietly happening in agriculture, since tax changes to encourage long-term leasing were introduced.

“The increase in the numbers of farmers in long-term leasing is significantly up, maybe by 27%, and we need to keep pushing it because for young farmers to get a piece of land for 11 months is a disaster on lots of levels, especially when it comes to borrowing money on the back of it and investing in the soil in a field, if they do not know they are going to have it the following year. We need to get long-term leasing in place, and it is starting to work.”