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Several reliefs and amendments for farmers confirmed

Budget 2025 had several extensions to farming reliefs
Budget 2025 had several extensions to farming reliefs

More than €2 billion will be allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine next year, according to the Minister for Public Expenditure.

That will include €30m for a new tillage scheme, as well as €10m for animal health measures designed to improve biosecurity.

€22m will go towards the continuation of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme, while €8m will enhance payment rates on the National Beef Welfare Scheme.

Minister Paschal Donohoe said €143m from the Carbon Tax would also go to agriculture in order to support farmers' attempts to improve biodiversity, climate, air and water quality.

Meanwhile, a further €472m will go to the Department of Rural and Community Development, which aims to support rural communities.

The minister said this was important to support businesses, increase remote working capability, and encourage social inclusion.

Budget 2025 will extend several agriculture stock reliefs, including the General Stock Relief, the Stock Relief for Young Trained Farmers and the Stock Relief for Registered Farm Partnerships, Minster for Finance Jack Chambers said.

He also said he would broadening the scope of accelerated capital allowances for farm safety equipment by adding further qualifying farm safety equipment types that can benefit from the relief.


The Minister said he was aware that there can be income instability in the farming sector in general - and the dairy sector more specifically and said he was keen to advance an income volatility measure to support the farming sector for consideration in advance of next year's Budget.

He also said he would amend both the Young Trained Farmer Stamp Duty Relief and the Stamp Duty Relief which applies to farmers who lease land.

"The relief for Young Trained Farmers will be revised so that it will be available where it is claimed by an individual farmer who carries on the farm business through a company."

The leasing relief will be amended to also encompass farmers who have chosen to incorporate their business.

Mr Chambers said that Agricultural Relief promotes the transfer of farms from one generation to the next and is an important measure to allow young people to pursue their lives on the family farm.

He noted that in recent years, agricultural land has increased in value above inflation and it is difficult for genuine farmers to purchase the land they need for farming.

"To address this and concerns that Agricultural Relief is being used as part of tax planning strategies by wealthy individuals, I am extending the six-year active farmer test to the person who provides the gift or inheritance," he said.

IFA President Francie Gorman said the farming measures announced in Budget 2025 would go some way towards addressing the pressures in farming, but added that they won't do enough to address the income crisis.

"The increase in supports for suckler cows, sheep and dairy beef calves will be some help to farmers in the drystock sector," he said.

However, the reality is that these sectors need more support as they drive economic activity in rural Ireland," he added.

IFA National Farm Business Chair Bill O'Keeffe said that the budget was a cost-of-living budget, rather than a cost of doing business budget.

"Many measures in the budget will help families, including farm families with cost-of- living pressures, but will not do a lot to address the cost of doing business which for farmers has increased by 73% since 2017," he said.