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National president, Josephine O’Neill and national agricultural affairs committee chair, James McElearney sat down with the commissioner on day three of the Ploughing and highlighted the importance of the proposed starter pack for young farmers, focusing on the inclusion of a mandatory succession scheme in the next CAP.
During the meeting, the commissioner said ‘he was committed to pushing for 10 per cent ring-fenced funding for young farmers’ according to Macra. And, he supported Macra's continued call for the mandatory provision of installation aid to support young farmers in establishing their farm enterprises.
Stressing the importance of this support to ensure Ireland's young farmers are competing on a level playing field, the Macra president said: "Ireland is currently the only EU Member State without installation aid, and this puts our young farmers at a significant disadvantage compared to their EU counterparts." The Commissioner said he was in support of installation aid, and will continue to push for it to be a mandatory element of the next CAP.
Macra outlined its proposed ‘active farmer’ definition to the commissioner, which it said would support genuine active farmers who take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the farm, and bear the inherent financial and production risks associated with running the farm business.
President O'Neill also reiterated the organisation’s call for subsidised farm relief services to be provided under the next CAP, in line with the Commission’s proposals.