The role of leading a family farming business through succession carries with it a very unique set of challenges. Farm businesses have many things going for them – they tend to be flexible, reliable, and proud, they can think long-term, have a strong culture and their people are committed. But they can also carry a daunting set of disadvantages – they can be rigid, inward-looking, unresponsive to change and sometimes swamped by emotional issues. It’s a complex mixture of advantages and disadvantages, costs and benefits, strengths and weaknesses. It is within this challenging context that effective succession planning must function as a catalyst for change and smooth transition between one generation and the next within family farms in Northern Ireland