Victor Boyhan warns Budget delay risks young farmers and rural life

Thank you, Chair Herlich. Well, firstly, I want to welcome you all here. MACWA, Clare Local Development Company, Form Connemara, North, East and West Kerry Development, and the Local Development Companies Network. So, we've already had sight of all your papers, so we've read them in detail. Anyone who thought they might have been cut short, we have them in front of us, and we got them, we had them for the last day or two. So, thank you for submitting them, because they're very, very helpful, and they feed into our debate. I suppose, given the amount of time I'm going to, again, like my colleague, Senator Lynch, focus in a bit on MACWA. Firstly, I'm delighted, Josephine, first I want to welcome you, and I genuinely say this, you're one to watch. You're highly articulate. I read about you in the media, I hear about you near to the ground. Only two weeks ago, I think you gave an interview there. And also to Elaine, I think you're a classical example of young, highly articulate farmers that live in rural communities, they're advocates for rural communities, and I think agriculture is in a good place in Ireland, in the hands of yourselves. And I don't say that in a patronising way, and I know Elaine and myself, we've boxed from time to time on issues, but what I like about it is it's straight up. And I really want to say that, and mean that genuinely. And I suppose really I just want to touch on some issues in relation to yourselves, first in your submission. And I suppose what you say, there's a sentence, and I quote you this, because this is in your script. To continue to attract young people back to rural Ireland, we need to ensure that vibrant and socially sustainable local communities are protected and encouraged. That's what we all believe in. And again, Dorian, you talked about, you know, the importance of community-led leader programmes. It's very simple. And subsidiarity is about making decisions on the ground, it's about communities making decisions on the ground, being informed, being valued. Stakeholders, plus they're part of it. They've skin in the game. There's a great expression, there's skin in the game. And when you've skin in the game, you have an interest in the game. And I think keep it simple. And I think we're talking about simplification of EU farming, everything. Keep it simple, keep it country, as far as I'm concerned. So I just want to touch on some issues, because I think they're important. Of course, income for young farmers is a reoccurring theme, as you've said. You've constantly talked about the issue of challenge around planning. Rural housing is a significant part of all this, because it's about sustainable communities. And without agriculture, we don't have farming, we don't have food. Without communities, particularly rural communities, we don't have agriculture, and we don't have people. And people are also critical in all of this. So they're all intertwined. There has to be that holistic connection, holistic approach. And that's the reoccurring theme that's come through all of your submissions, and I want to acknowledge and to thank you for that. But then we talk, you know, there's inheritance, there's tax liability. Because ceding land to a minor or younger, in some cases people don't have children. We have the Nebionese thing. We have some people that, you know, there's a whole load of challenges around taxation that are unfair and also need to be addressed in this more holistic manner, and holistic way. And then, you know, the transport issues. But generational renewal, and I think the point where you say earlier on, there seems to be a variance or difference between EU proposals and government proposals. And you've touched on, Josephine, yourself in relation to the funding. And, of course, generational renewal, we talk about the introduction of the Young Farmers Establishment Payment or Scheme, and let's talk about that. And then in the generational renewal thing, you'd be familiar with all future cap schemes, this is an aspiration now, should be young farmer and new entrant proof. New entrant proof is critically important as young. We don't want to only talk about young farms. New entrants. You can come into agriculture at any time. Let's not forget that. We want to encourage new experiences too. So, look, tomorrow for the few minutes that you have, and then if we have some more time, we'll go back to the others. But just to say, you're just my touch on that. And I was disappointed about Budget 2026 too. And two years is a long time for a lot of people who are making decisions about their future. I spoke to a son of a farmer yesterday. He's heading to Australia. He's not hanging around. Two years is too long. When you're 21 years of age, two years sounds like a life sentence. So, look, you might just comment on some of those and where you see the priorities for yourselves. Thank you, Senator. I'm going to come in first for our box of match and then hand you over to Josephine. I suppose your disappointment on Budget, I suppose our disappointment with the Budget for probably the last 40 years is something to notice as well. The young farmer is constantly forgotten. To be very honest, I campaigned for two years. I've handed over to Josephine. The light is fairly dimming in the future of young farmers in Ireland, unfortunately. I've spoken to more people that are leaving the country. One of my best friends is currently over in New Zealand and has no intentions of coming home to farm. He told his father to put up the farm for sale because he's got a better opportunity in New Zealand. That shouldn't be happening here in this country. We have a unique system that needs to be protected. It's something that we need to be extremely proud of. I'm also the chair of the Land Mobility Service that we offer in MACRA. This is just to go back to Senator Lynch's point as well. We have young people crying out to farm. We have older people that are willing to hand over the farm on a leased basis as what the Land Mobility Service does. But unfortunately, that Land Mobility Service is looking at closing its doors because our department decided to pull $100,000 of funding. $100,000 is nothing, funding-wise. Once that service is gone, hopefully an EIP might carry us on because EIPs are there as pop-up shops, as I'd say, and kill their village. We need that funding back to actually keep young people farming and getting them the opportunities. Another thing before I hand you over to Josephine, succession is the buzzword. Everybody loves using it, succession. But then it's followed by a retirement scheme. Unfortunately, when you think of a retirement scheme, that's taking money out of a sector while succession is giving a glimmer of hope. We need to get on the succession bus. Now, we probably needed to get on it 40 years ago. But we need action now. Two years' time, too late. We have gone to the department with a succession scheme. We've given them a full succession scheme. It was thrown back in our face. They told us, come back with a pilot. We gave it to them again. They told us that was no good. We gave them the skeletons of it, told them to flesh out the bones, and they wouldn't fulfil this. It's a drum that we are constantly banging, and it's a drum that Josephine's taking over now. So, Josephine? Thanks. I suppose I'll come in on some of the other issues that you mentioned, Senator Boylan, and one of those is income for young farmers. At the moment, we see inflation everywhere, and the prices of our food is increasing. The founding principle of CAP was to ensure cheaper prices, but that should not come at the cost of the producer. So, we would hope that the next CAP can ensure that the income for young farmers is supported to ensure that they have a viable farming business. In terms of rural housing and transport, there are key issues that we've highlighted in our pre-budget submission for at least the last two pre-budget submissions, and every year we're disappointed. In terms of tax liability and the young farmer and new entrant proof schemes that you mentioned, they are highlighted in the Commission on Generation Renewal recommendations, and we will be asking that they would be considered as viable options to ensure that young farmers have a future in Ireland and in Irish farming. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Cheers, Chair. Deputy Lawless.