Traditionally, family-farm businesses have been passed down through a number of generations and the facilitation of a smooth transition from one generation to another is central to the profitability, continuity and sustainability of the business. There are many factors which can impact on an individual beginning to manage a farm in their own right. This study seeks to determine the barriers to new entrant farmers in Northern Ireland through a survey of young farmers/new entrants to farming. The results from the survey show that the profitability of the farm business, the age of the farmer when they identify a successor, the stage in the household lifecycle when a successor is identified, the wider dynamics of the family household and the role of the wider rural economy affect the success of new entrants to farming.