Bought and paid for

There seems to be plenty of enthusiasm for paid leave for farmers. That would presumably include holiday pay, sick pay, and maternity/paternity leave. These are usually allowances paid to employees in a business or public service. Employers, business owners, and other self-employed individuals generally do not qualify for these financial supports. Farmers are self-employed business owners, not paid employees. It is said that one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. In this case, why question the logic of accepting financial support that could deliver a better lifestyle? An obvious reason might be because one of the primary benefits of being a farmer is that you are, as far as is possible, in an age of extreme regulation, your own boss. Yes, that independence has been diluted by all kinds of rules that restrict farmers from ‘doing their own thing’. At the same time, farmers can still make many unilateral business decisions that ultimately determine their progress through life. Accepting paid leave does not entirely eliminate that self-determinism but it does make farmers even more financially dependent than ever, with, in this case, no direct connection between the funds provided and food production or environmental services provided. Will farmers have completely subscribed to a ‘command economy’ existence when even their holidays are paid for?

Another financial support?

Farmers already accept financial supports of all kinds, from the European Union and our own Government, tied into demands and restrictions on how they farm their land and manage their livestock. Is paid leave just another financial life-support mechanism or is it a further erosion of the self-determinism that we supposedly hold dear as independent business owners? Probably both, being honest. If this Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)-related proposal is brought in for farmers, other self-employed citizens would legitimately expect that they, too, should qualify for paid leave. The butcher, the baker, and the taxi owner will want to be treated the same as farmers in this regard. Farmers may argue that their situation is different. There is a problem with lifestyle, in so far as not enough young people are willing to become farmers, given the long hours, relatively low average incomes, and lower lifestyle expectations in general. However, those criteria apply across many businesses. 

Striking the balance

Worklife balance, or imbalance, figures highlighted by Pearse Kelly at Teagasc’s Beef2026 open day at Grange last month showed how many part-time farmers devote large chunks of their lives outside their off-farm employment to managing their farms. Early mornings, late evenings, weekends and, quite often, part or all of their paid leave time are devoted to farming activities. Ultimately, this is a personal decision. There may be some element of perceived responsibility for keeping the farm operating, but there is also a large element of personal inclination. This can put pressure on families and marriages, but people can decide for themselves how they wish to allocate their work/life timespans.
Sickness, poor health, age, child and elderly care, as well as economic returns, are all influencers of how much time a person can allocate to farm work. Some of these potential restrictions are supported by social welfare, insurance, family support and an ability to retain temporary or permanent staff. Again, we come back to whether government or EU should be directly involved in the financing of paid leave for whatever reason, for self-employed individuals. The underlying rationale may be altruistic and well intentioned. There may also be a degree of populism in it. The full implications for farmers, for other self-employed, for labour support services and of its potential social value have not been fully evaluated.