Farming survey: Farmers want a minister for Brexit

More than half of farmers want a Brexit minister and do not believe the Government is doing enough to prepare for the UK’s exit from the EU.

Farming survey: Farmers want a minister for Brexit

The Irish Examiner/ICMSA opinion poll found one in four respondents believe Brexit has already impacted on agriculture here and two thirds believe it will impact on farming in the future.

The opinion poll also found that farmers want the Government to be more proactive in how it handles Brexit, beginning with a Brexit minister.

Just one in three farmers (33%) feel the Government is doing enough on Brexit, with fears highest among younger farmers.

More than half of those aged 55 and over agree the Government is doing enough in response to its challenges, while just 22% of those aged under 34 feel the same way. More than half of all farmers support the idea of appointing a Brexit minister, peaking in the 35 to 44 age group at 61%, while farmers with 120 acres or more are most likely to back the plan, (63% of respondents).

Half of tillage and livestock farmers back the idea, as do 60% of dairy farmers, while 70% of those involved in other farm activities believe a Brexit minister should be appointed, possibly reflecting the views of smaller sectors of agricultural production such as the mushroom industry that have already been impacted by Brexit.

ICMSA president John Comer said the polling data demonstrated the very real anxieties felt within farming.

He said the ICMSA had repeatedly called for Ireland to state that the preservation of Ireland’s food trade with the UK was a national strategic objective and its preservation on a continued tariff-free basis was non-negotiable.

“All parties have to understand that that is what Ireland has enjoyed and earned and that is what we intend keeping,” he said. “That has to be, not the maximum we aim for, but the minimum we will accept.”

The national opinion poll also found that just 42% of farmers have a private pension scheme.

The poll shows those who have a private pension are clustered middle age, while younger farmers and those who have already reached state pension age are less likely to have arranged for one.

Men were slightly more likely to have a private pension than women, as were respondents with an off-farm income. The groups most likely to have a private pension were those involved in dairy farming (51%) and those aged 45 to 54 (51%).

While 48% of those aged 35 to 44 had a private pension, just 27% of those aged under 34 had made provision for one. Among the different farming sectors, those involved in livestock were least likely to have a private pension, at 39%.

The ICMSA said that the Government needed to work on possible solutions, such as a possible farm management deposit scheme or a new early retirement scheme.

There has also been a slip in support for a 32-county Ireland among the country’s farmers.

The poll results show 59% support for a 32-county Ireland, with 15% opposed.

Just two years ago, 69% of respondents said they favoured a unified Ireland, with 45% strongly agreeing with the proposition. In contrast, this year 22% of respondents strongly agreed.

The highest levels of support for a 32-county Ireland were among those aged 35 to 44 (68%) and 45 to 54 (67%), while just 52% of those aged under 34 back the idea.

Support was also strongest among tillage farmers (85%) and regionally, support was highest among those polled at Limerick Show, at 70%, and lowest in Claregalway, at 43%.

Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll

The Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll was designed to provide a robust and accurate snapshot of the attitudes, beliefs and opinions of the farming community about a range of issues, both farming and social. The survey involved 569 interviews with farm dwelling adults in the Republic of Ireland.

Fieldwork was completed by Behaviour & Attitudes over a two-week period between August 13 and 27, with interviewing undertaken onsite by Behaviour & Attitudes interviewers across eight agricultural shows. The sample size is large and the data has a statistical margin of error of +/-4%.

The sampling approach involves a random probability method, with interviews being undertaken with attendees provided they worked and/or lived on a farm. 429 interviews were with farmers themselves, 31 with non family, farm employees, and the balance with spouses (66), most of whom -5 out of 6- personally work on the family farm as well.

All data is copyrighted by the Irish Examiner and Behaviour & Attitudes and should be attributed to this source where quoted.

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