Hearing on young farmers at EESC

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is writing a report on the situation of young farmers in Europe.

On 6 April a Hearing on Young Yarmers was held at the EESC in tandem with the discussions on the report.

The event co-coincides with a report currently under development by the EU’s civil society representatives at the EESC that aims to collect information on the situation of young farmers and propose measures to help them. CEJA welcomes the ambition of the current draft report, which is the first from an EU institution calling for measures for young farmers in both Pillar I and Pillar II of the CAP.

For CEJA President Joris Baecke, speaker at the event, “The debate on the future of Europe’s young farmers is one for all institutions and civil society organisations working to improve the Common Agricultural Policy and make our agriculture more competitive. The EESC’s draft report calls for a minimum percentage of aids for young farmers under Pillar II, a reserve fund of land to ease access to land as well as an exchange programme for young farmers, all of which we welcome.”

Yves Madre, Cabinet member of Commissioner Ciolos stated at the event that “the renewal of generations in agriculture is an enormous challenge. The EU Commission wants to assess the role of targeted measures for young farmers in the upcoming CAP reform.”

Mario Campli, President of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT) of the EESC called on the European institutions to “implement a real  Installation Policy for young farmers. Generational renewal is a strategic priority.” The opinion is currently being drafted and will officially be published in July, with Pedro Narro as the rapporteur.