Macra launches CAP position at Ploughing 2026, calling for 10% funding for generational renewal.
Macra is today (Tuesday) launching its position paper on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) at the 2026 National Ploughing Championships, calling for 10% of CAP funding to be ring-fenced for generational renewal and for Ireland to show greater ambition in supporting the next generation of farmers.
The launch will take place between 1.30 and 2:00 pm at Macra's stand at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co. Tullamore. (Stand 207, Row 11, Block 4). Media and elected representatives are invited to attend.
Launching the paper, Macra President Josephine O’Neill said the next CAP (2028 to 2034) will be one of the most important policy decisions for the future of Irish farming and that the voice of young farmers must be central to the negotiations.
“The next CAP will shape the future of farming for the next generation. It will determine whether young people can access land, establish a viable farm business and see farming as an attractive career,” she said.
“Generational renewal cannot be an afterthought in the next CAP. It must be one of its defining priorities. With Ireland now in the driving seat as it holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, there is a unique opportunity to steer the future CAP negotiations and fight for an ambitious and meaningful policy for young farmers,” O’Neill continued.
Macra’s position paper sets out a comprehensive package of measures aimed at making farming more accessible, viable and attractive to the next generation. At its core is a call for 10% of the CAP budget to be ring-fenced for generational renewal, ensuring that funding for young farmers and succession cannot be diluted or displaced by competing priorities.
The organisation is also calling for Ireland’s CAP allocation to be maintained at a minimum of €10.7 billion for 2028–2034, rather than accepting the significant reduction currently proposed.
“Farmers are being asked to do more for food security, climate action and environmental sustainability, yet the proposed CAP budget for Ireland represents a significant reduction. That is not compatible with the scale of the challenges facing Irish agriculture," O’Neill said. “Generational renewal will not happen without investment. We need a CAP that gives young farmers certainty and gives them the tools to establish, develop and grow viable farm businesses.”
Installation Aid
The organisation is calling for the reintroduction of meaningful installation aid for young farmers as part of its CAP Succession Scheme.
Ireland is currently the only EU Member State without dedicated installation aid, leaving young farmers here without the same establishment support available to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.
“Ireland cannot expect to deliver generational renewal while being the only EU country without installation aid for young farmers,” Ms O’Neill said. “If we are serious about bringing a new generation into farming, we need to give young farmers the tools to actually establish themselves. Access to land is one challenge, but access to the capital needed to establish a viable farm business is another. Installation aid must be part of the solution.”
Macra is proposing a three-part CAP Succession Scheme, combining a substantial establishment payment for the incoming young farmer, continued income support through the young farmer top-up, and a Generational Renewal Payment for farmers transferring their holdings.
The proposed Young Farmer Establishment Payment would provide €3,600 per hectare, up to a maximum of 50 hectares, giving an incoming young farmer a lump-sum payment of up to €180,000 in their first year of establishment. This support would be available both to young farmers succeeding to a family farm and to new entrants who secure access to land through purchase or leasing.
The scheme would also provide a Young Farmer Top-Up of €170 per hectare annually, up to a maximum of 50 hectares, providing continued income support during the critical establishment phase.
For the exiting generation, Macra is proposing a Generational Renewal Payment of €720 per hectare over five years, up to a maximum of 50 hectares, for farmers aged 65 and over who transfer at least 80% of their farm assets to an incoming young farmer.
Macra estimates that the proposed CAP Succession Scheme would require €553 million over the seven-year CAP period and could support approximately 8,800 farm successions. It builds on the modelling outlined in the Commission on Generational Renewal Report.
Ahead of the next CAP cycle, Macra is also calling for a €5 million Farm Succession Pilot in Budget 2027 to incentivise and facilitate on-farm succession.
The proposed pilot would provide €50,000 to 100 farms, with €25,000 going to the incoming young farmer and €25,000 to the exiting farmer. The pilot would require 80% of the holding to be transferred and would provide for participants to automatically transition into a five-year CAP Succession Scheme from 2028.
“The Budget 2027 pilot is an opportunity for Government to act now rather than waiting for the next CAP to come into effect,” O’Neill said. “It would allow us to test the model, demonstrate the demand for dedicated succession support and put the systems in place for a national scheme. This should be the first step towards the comprehensive CAP Succession Scheme we are proposing from 2028.”
Mandatory commitment needed
However, Macra is concerned that the ambition around generational renewal is being weakened in the ongoing CAP negotiations.
Macra understands Member States are seeking greater flexibility on succession under the next CAP, with countries not wanting a mandatory EU-level succession scheme and instead seeking the option to decide whether and how to provide support for farm succession.
Macra is deeply concerned by this softening of ambition.
“If succession is optional, support for young farmers becomes dependent on the political choices of individual Member States – and young farmers cannot have certainty about the support available to them,” O’Neill said. “We cannot allow Member States to avoid binding commitments on generational renewal by simply making succession measures optional. If the EU is serious about its ambition to double the share of young and new farmers by 2040, then that ambition must be backed by mandatory funding and measures. With Ireland now in the driving seat, we need our Government to put its foot down and fight for the strongest possible commitment to generational renewal in the next CAP. Ireland should be leading this debate, not settling for the lowest common denominator.”
Farm relief must be part of generational renewal
Macra is also calling for subsidised and reliable farm relief services to be included and properly funded as a key component of generational renewal under the next CAP, alongside complementary national funding.
The organisation’s position paper calls for replacement services to cover annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave and parental leave, ensuring farmers can take time away from the farm without putting the viability of their business at risk.
“Farm relief is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure for a modern farming sector and an important part of making farming a sustainable career for the next generation,” Ms O’Neill said. “We need to recognise that generational renewal is about more than getting a young person onto a farm. It is about creating a sector where people can establish a business, have a quality of life, take leave when they need it and see a long-term future in farming.”
Protecting rural communities
Macra is also calling for the protection of dedicated LEADER funding under the next CAP.
The organisation is concerned that moving away from the existing two-pillar CAP structure could weaken the certainty and ring-fencing of funding for LEADER by placing it within wider National and Regional Partnership Plans.
“Generational renewal does not happen in isolation from the communities that farmers live and work in,” O’Neill said. “LEADER plays a vital role in supporting rural communities, local enterprise and on-farm diversification. We need a strong and predictable commitment to LEADER under the next CAP, with at least the €180 million allocated to Ireland for 2023–2027 protected as an absolute minimum. Ultimately, the next CAP must give the next generation confidence that there is a future for them in farming. That means protecting the overall CAP budget, ring-fencing funding for young farmers, delivering meaningful installation and succession support, providing reliable farm relief and protecting the rural communities in which farming is rooted.”
“Macra is clear on what is needed. The question now is whether Government will match that ambition. Ireland has an opportunity, while holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to fight for a CAP that genuinely delivers generational renewal. We expect Ireland to use that position and to stand up for the next generation of farmers.”