Luxembourg, 10/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - During their informal meeting on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the EU Member State agricultural ministers confirmed the need to help young people start out in the agricultural sector. The meeting will be devoted to the theme “Farming in the future - a challenge for young farmers”. Four working groups have been set up with the participation of members of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA).
Access to farming: The president-in-office of the Agriculture Council, Luxembourg Minister Fernand Boden, recalled that a political agreement was expected end June on the proposal establishing the new European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (2007-2013). He specified that the last Presidency compromise to date provided for the amount of aid for establishment to be maintained at EUR 55,000, while the Commission advocated a reduction to EUR 40,000. According to the conclusions of the working group chaired by Dominique Bussereau, the French minister, discussions showed the political will to ensure a succession of generations in farming and the importance of vocational training and qualifications. The problems most often cited by delegations (mainly Belgian and Dutch) were the heavy burden of administrative costs on the establishment of young farmers and the differences between Member States regarding the degree of use made of the aid. Speakers suggested that the regulatory framework should be kept stable and administrative costs reduced.
Training and exchanges: Mr Boden confirmed the need, stressed by the delegations, to provide farmers with good training and to complete their knowledge and skills. Member States and young farmers suggested reviving the initiative that existed before of a system of exchanges between farmers of the various Member States.
CAP instruments: Jaime Silva, Portuguese Agriculture Minister, concluded that the system of decoupling aid from production (introduced by the June 2003 reform) allows a certain amount of flexibility (with possible regionalisation of payments). Participants stressed that the national reserve should be earmarked as a priority for young farmers. The Commission pledged to place emphasis on assisting young farmers. Mr Boden confirmed the concern expressed by farmers on the impact of reform (decoupling of aid).
Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, told the press that the EU was to resolve difficulties facing young farmers. She recalled the measures foreseen by the CAP reform of June 2003, allowing the situation of young farmers to be taken into account. Thus, with implementation of a single payment scheme and especially thanks to the national reserve, Member States can give priority to new farmers that do not have references behind them. Ms Fischer Boel also deplored the fact that Member States do not currently use all the possibilities open to them in the current regulation on rural development to help young farmers.
Sylvain Marmier, the outgoing president of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), said at a press conference that it was necessary to raise the challenge of agricultural demography in Europe as 55% of farmers are over 55 years of age today and only 8% of European farmers are younger than 35. The vitality of rural life is ensured by the young, as they have a role to play in scarcely populated regions and they must be helped to start up in the farming profession. They must be given support in the understanding that it is necessary to: - organise and structure agriculture to make it competitive and successful; - face the challenge of innovation (bio-energy, tourism services to society); - be involved in dialogue with society so that it is understood that agriculture also has a fundamental economic role and a very important social role to play. The ministers must be aware of the difficulties facing the young: - income does not always live up to the expectations of the young (for access to holdings, payment rights and production means allowing a young farmer to set up business); - the unstable and vague context of price evolution and CAP; - and management of the profession becomes increasingly administrative and legally somewhat complicated and calls for greater competence. All this was explained to ministers not in order to express fear of the profession but on the contrary to explain that one should not give up, that the young should be convinced that they should train and consider the profession in a lucid and passionate way, and also to say that one must clarify the system of subsidies to young farmers to encourage the young to start up.
In his speech before the ministers, Mr Marmier added that the young farmers need: - a sound plan of establishment to “help us financially, to train us and to guide us during the establishment and during the restructuring of our holdings”; - and rules for fair trade on a world market and a CAP that is turned to the future. According to the CEJA, all Member States should make young farmers a priority so that they gain access to payment rights and to CAP production rights.
According to Eurostat data for the year 2003, 24.5% of EU farms were managed by a person aged under 45, a percentage slightly above that of 1999/2000. The size of holdings managed by young people under the age of 35 was on average 31.3 hectares in 2003, as opposed to 31.2 hectares for farmers between 35 and 44 years of age, 26.5 hectares for farmers aged between 45 and 54, 19.4 hectares for farmers between 55 and 64, and 8.2 hectares for farmers aged 65 and over. The category of farmers in the age group under 35 was in the lead in 2003, while, in 2000, it was in second position after the 35-44 year age group. This reflects more rapid restructuring of holdings during recovery periods.