Macra survey seeks views and opinions of young people working and living in rural Ireland

Annual survey sees change in proceedings this year because of Covid-19

Macra expects to see broadband as a greater priority for young people in rural Ireland in its annual survey results. File Picture.  

Macra na Feirme is seeking the views of those involved in farming and living in rural Ireland in its annual survey which will inform future policy work for the organisation.

And, for the first time ever, the farming body is also seeking the views and opinions of young non-farmers living in rural Ireland and how they view themselves, their community, and their future.

Macra President, Thomas Duffy said that the data from the survey will be used to create policy and lobby objectives that will improve the lives of young people in farming as well as in other industries in rural Ireland.

“Normally, we run a young farmers survey in line with our Young Farmer of the Year competition so that we would have the results in and around the same time,” he added.

“But this year, because it’s a virtual competition due to Covid-19 restrictions, we decided to separate the two entities and expand on the annual survey - particularly in light of Covid-19 and the change in environment for a lot of people.

“We wanted to have some additional information this year so if you are a young farmer and actively involved in farming then there is an option in the survey for that, while for people who are not associated with agriculture at all, there is a different set of questions available to them.

Good broadband has become more important for people working from home and those in education. File Picture.  

“For those who are part-time farming or an agricultural student they will be asked to complete all the questions in the survey.” 

Meanwhile, topics covered in the survey include rural broadband, transport and on-farm investment, as well as others.

Mr Duffy says he is expecting to see broadband becoming a “major priority” now for young people living and working in rural Ireland.

“We would be expecting a big increase in the number of people saying that rural broadband is a major priority now,” he continued.

“The feedback to Macra in relation to broadband is that while poor or the lack of broadband may have been a frustration in the past, now it is an essential part of their lives - particularly when it comes to remote working and education.” 

The survey can be accessed at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MacraSurvey2020