€22 million for Ryder Cup, but young farmers left in the rough over Budget 2027 - Macra
Macra has expressed disappointment that €22 million has been allocated towards the hosting of the Ryder Cup in Ireland while the organisation's proposed €5 million pilot succession scheme gets left in the rough.
As the dust settles on Budget 2027, Macra says the contrast in funding priorities raises serious questions about the level of investment being made in the future of Irish farming.
While the Ryder Cup is a significant one-off event, young farmers represent a long-term investment in one of Ireland’s largest indigenous sectors. Generational renewal is in crisis mode and requires meaningful, targeted investment. It’s an issue that is very different to the one-off nature of a major sporting event.
Macra President Josephine O’Neill said: “The Ryder Cup will come and go, but the decisions we make now on generational renewal will shape Irish agriculture for decades to come. On the other hand, we are also deeply concerned that agriculture’s share of the overall national budget has fallen to a new low of just 1.85%.
“Agriculture is fundamental to our economy, our food security and the vitality of rural Ireland, yet its share of Government investment continues to shrink. Young farmers cannot be expected to build the future of Irish agriculture on crumbs from the budget table.”
"We welcome the increase in the Succession Farm Partnership tax credit and the removal of the three-year land transfer rule. These are positive measures, but they are simply not enough. We need direct investment if we are serious about getting the next generation onto the land and into wellies.”
Welcome measures
There are some welcome measures for farmers in this Budget, including the extension of the Fuel Income Support Scheme, the full co-funding of the Fertiliser Top-up, fuel excise cuts extended to the end of February and increased TAMS allocation. However, these measures fall short of the level of funding and ambition that Macra was seeking.
The €31.2 million extension of the Fuel Income Support Scheme will provide welcome relief to farmers facing significant input costs, while the extension of the excise duty reductions on petrol and diesel is also welcome. However, these are supports responding to immediate cost pressures - they do not replace the need for long-term investment in the future of our young farmers.
“Young farmers are not a short-term project. They are the future of Ireland’s largest indigenous sector. If Government is serious about generational renewal, the level of investment must match the scale of the challenge.”