Farmers Association calls for pre-nuptial agreements to be recognised

The president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) is recommending that pre-nuptial agreements be given recognition under Irish law.

As it stands such agreements are not officially recognised in Ireland, but they are legal.

The organisation says there is fear within the farming community over the change in social structures in Ireland and the level of family breakups.

John Bryan of the IFA says the arrangement would have to be fair for both parties.

"There's a concern where a marriage broke up maybe quickly - after a year or two years - that at the minimum they're going to have a long process in court, very expensive and in several cases the sale of a substantial part of the farm as a family settlemen," he said.

"We believe that it would encourage inter-generational transfer if there could be well-balanced pre-nuptials that recognised that the farm was an asset that had been built up over generations."