Brussels, 10/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 10 November, several EU countries raised the difficulties that young farmers still have to face under the new common agricultural policy (CAP).
While the reformed CAP provides specific measures to support young farmers, obstacles still remain, relating to young entrepreneurs setting up in farming, Italy said. Among these obstacles to entry are: - economic barriers (lower revenue than other economic sectors); - market barriers (difficulties in accessing credit and in access to farming land); - weaknesses in relation to innovation transfer and a deficit in exchanges of information and professional experience on the different situations throughout the EU.
To overcome these obstacles, the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU has pledged to propose simple solutions to ministers. In a document, it focuses on three main points: access to credit, access to production factors and access to knowledge and innovation.
These suggestions were supported at the Council by the agriculture ministers of seven countries, including Slovenia, Belgium, Greece, Austria, Ireland and Portugal. Austria indicated, however, that it did not agree with the ideas on aid for the purchase of agricultural land (because of the attendant risk of increasing the price of land). (LC)