Joris Baecke

President of the European Council of Young Farmers Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers Under the Irish Presidency of the European Union Dublin, Ireland 28 May 2013

CONSEIL EUROPEEN DES JEUNES AGRICULTEURS

European Council of Young Farmers - Europäischer Rat der Junglandwirte

Dear President of the European Council, Minister Coveney,

Dear Commissioner Cioloş,

Dear Ministers of Agriculture,

Dear COMAGRI Chairman De Castro,

Dear Parliamentary rapporteurs,

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are all well aware that this is an important Informal Farm Council. We

are, according to the Irish Presidency’s timetable, just weeks away from

a final agreement on CAP reform. A third of the way through the trilogue

process, a deal appears to be within reach; but on many issues, there is

still a lot of work to be done. A good compromise at this stage is needed,

but there are also crucial red lines in this reform, which cannot be

ignored. This CAP reform must achieve what it set out to do: make

European agriculture more competitive and more sustainable,

simultaneously. As some of you know 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.

At this stage, many in this room have acknowledged the gravity and

scale of the demographic problem in EU agriculture, as well as the need

to address it in both pillars of the new CAP.

However, some of you have difficulty accepting that the problem affects

particular national situations. I have to say to you again, Dear Ministers –

not one of you can afford to turn a blind eye to the dramatic demographic

crisis. Every single EU Member State has a problem with generational

renewal. No Member State has a high enough % of young farmers. Not

only that, but the first years of starting a farm as a young person, are the

most difficult ones of your career – when investments are high, and

returns are low. Add to that the fact that research shows that young

farmers are more productive, more business-oriented, higher educated

and more environmentally aware than older farmers on average, and

your arguments against a mandatory top-up collapse.

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

belike the orchestra that keeps on playing while the ship slowly sinks.

We are not asking for much. Just 2% of the national envelope, to be fully

used for young farmers under direct payments and the current

installation aid in the rural development program, strengthened by the

possibility to increase the level of co-financing to 80/20 for the thematic

sub-programme for young farmers – we have utter faith that this

combination will make a real difference to the setting up of young

farmers in agriculture and to support them in the first vulnerable years of

their business –

Thanks to education and innovation, they are much more likely to put

these modest additional payments to good use than their older

counterparts. Eurostat’s figures on productivity levels according to age

group confirm this.

We understand that important interests are at play in these CAP reform

negotiations. But I must re-iterate that young farmers cannot be allowed

to drown in the sea of bargaining and trade-offs: our demands are

modest and our arguments are sound. Moreover, in the Commission’s

proposal, young farmers have become a priority under this reform. Not

only this, but the European Parliament has cross-party support for this

proposal.

So, I am looking at you Minister Coveney and your fellow Ministers who

will attend the June Luxemburg Council. European Young Farmers are

counting on you. Young farmers need your support. The two measures,

like the pillars they are under, complement each other and must be used

together.

Dear Ministers,

To guarantee a competitive and sustainable European agriculture sector

in the future, you have to make this reform of the CAP truly count for

generational renewal in farming, by providing the measures in both

pillars to all young farmers, in every Member State; The future of

European Agriculture depends on you.

I thank you again, Minister Coveney, for inviting me to speak at

thisInformal Farm Council.

Thank you all for your attention.