Macra will hold its annual lobbying day today (Wednesday, June 26) with TDs and senators to set out its asks for Budget 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macra said it will be meeting with members of the Oireachtas who are interested in the future of rural Ireland and its inhabitants, and that it would engage with politicians of “all parties and none”. The meeting will be held at Buswells Hotel in Dublin, across the road from Leinster House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marca president Elaine Houlihan said that its pre-budget submission incorporates five different action areas, “each of which needs to be addressed in the coming budget, or we will be turning out the lights on rural Ireland”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These five action areas outlined by Macra are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Without any of these, there is no hope for rural Ireland. Macra sees a future in rural Ireland, a future where we have viable communities where our members can live, work and bring up families. These communities are sustained by all of the service that are required to make rural living possible,” Houlihan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added: “The backbone of these communities are our people and our farms. These farms have to be run in an economically sustainable manner as well as in an environmental responsible manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Ireland has a responsibility to feed 40 million people, and we have to do this in a manner with the least environmental impact. For that we need the best-educated farmers in control of the means of production.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Macra said that a large part of its pre-budget submission revolved around a succession scheme. Macra is calling for the provision in Budget 2025 for a pilot scheme that would change the farming demographics from having more farmers over 80 than under 35 to “something more sustainable”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The organisation said that the number of young farmers in Ireland is of increasing concern to it, saying that young farmers are “becoming a rarer breed”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n