CEJA– Conseil Européen des Jeunes Agriculteurs Rue Belliard 23/A, Bte 8, 1040 Brussels, Belgium TEL +32 (0) 2 230 4210 FAX +32 (0) 2 280 1805

WEB: WWW.CEJA.EU

28/05/2013 Dublin, Ireland

PRESS RELEASE

Last chance to make the CAP reform count for young farmers, warns CEJA President Joris Baecke On 28 May 2013, CEJA President Joris Baecke addressed all 27 EU Ministers for Agriculture, the European Commissioner Dacian Cioloş, and COMAGRI Chairman Paolo De Castro, on the subject of the CAP reform. As the last meeting of Ministers until the Agriculture Council of 24 June 2013 in Luxembourg – where the Irish Presidency is hoping to conclude a deal – this informal gathering in Dublin is likely to be crucial for identifying potential areas of compromise in this CAP reform. Mr Baecke seized this opportunity to urge Ministers to adopt a mandatory young farmer top-up of direct payments, arguing for the importance of a binding measure as against a voluntary one. In the Commission’s proposal, young farmers have become a priority under this reform. The European Parliament has cross-party support for this proposal. It is crucial that the Council also endorses mandatory measures for generational renewal in agriculture in both pillars of the CAP. The CEJA President’s address was particularly crucial considering the closed nature of the current step in the negotiating process: trilogues between representatives of the three institutions for a final deal in June. Appealing to the current President of the Council, Simon Coveney, and the 26 other EU Ministers directly, Mr Baecke stated: “Many have already acknowledged the problem and the opportunities for innovation and increased competitiveness for the sector that young farmers could provide. As shown from CEJA’s recent Future Food Farmers campaign, there is one aspect which must be addressed by this CAP reform before the other challenges can be dealt with: that is generational renewal in Europe’s farming population. However, some of you still have difficulty accepting that the problem affects particular national situations. There is not a single Member State that can afford not to address generational renewal by stating that there is not a problem. It would be like the orchestra that keeps on playing while the ship slowly sinks. Don’t let the future of European agriculture down, just for the sake of flexibility on a modest 2% of your national envelope of direct payments.” ENDS ___________________________________________________________________ For further information:

EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF YOUNG FARMERS Conseil Européen des Jeunes Agriculteurs - Europäischer Rat der Junglandwirte

CEJA– Conseil Européen des Jeunes Agriculteurs Rue Belliard 23/A, Bte 8, 1040 Brussels, Belgium TEL +32 (0) 2 230 4210 FAX +32 (0) 2 280 1805

WEB: WWW.CEJA.EU

Jessica Fitch, Communications Officer, Tel: + 32 2 230 42 10 E-mail: pressofficer@ceja.eu CEJA is made up of 30 national organisations from the EU-27, representing altogether around 1.8 million young farmers in Europe. CEJA represents the political interests of its members and has the primary goal of ensuring the installation of young farmers. It is considered to be one of the key advocates for the agricultural sector in Europe. CEJA’s main objectives are to facilitate the installation of young farmers in Europe, to inform, train and represent young farmers, to act as a forum for communication and dialogue between young farmers and to encourage public interest in farming-related issues.