Macra: MEP's remarks reflect 'very real frustrations' of young farmers
Macra has described MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan comments as "a wake-up call", after he said that young people would be "insane" to enter farming under current conditions.
The young farmers organisation said that while the MEP's remarks are "stark", they reflect "the very real frustrations and challenges facing the next generation of farmers".
MEP Flanagan said: “I'd have to say as a parent myself and looking at my just young adult children, I'd have to say at the moment, if they were talking about people who aren't currently in farming, getting into farming, I’d tell them under the current environment, they would be insane to get involved in it."
He was speaking in a European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development meeting discussing amendments to fellow MEP Maria Walsh's report on Generational Renewal in Agriculture.
Macra
Macra noted that the number of young farmers continues to decline, with the average age of farmers steadily increasing and just a small proportion of farmers now under the age of 35.
The organisation said that young people entering farming today face a multitude of challenges.
These can include "soaring input costs, difficulties accessing land and finance, uncertainty around future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding and the continued absence of critical supports such as installation aid".
Macra national president Josephine O'Neill said: “Unfortunately, many young people want to farm, but they face too many obstacles.
"These challenges are wide-ranging and long-standing - access to land, access to finance, succession just to name a few of an increasingly long list of issues faced by young people considering a career in farming.”
The organisation said that no young person should be discouraged from pursuing a career in agriculture.
However, it warned that unless urgent action is taken to improve farm viability and support generational renewal, fewer and fewer young people will view farming as a realistic option.
It said: “A career in agriculture can bring so many opportunities; farming can be an incredibly rewarding way of life.
"We must highlight this positivity while also ensuring that adequate supports are in place to overcome the challenges faced, ensuring a viable and sustainable career for young farmers.”
Macra reiterated its calls for legally binding ring-fenced funding for young farmers under the next CAP, the introduction of installation aid in Ireland, stronger succession supports, and continued investment in measures that improve farm profitability and resilience.
The organisation said that the comments should serve as “a wake-up” call to policymakers both in Ireland and at EU level.
Macra concluded by warning that generational renewal cannot continue to be discussed in reports and strategies alone.
It said: “What’s most insane is that all we continue to do is talk about Generational Renewal.
"We have yet to see meaningful action which actually addresses the crisis the agricultural sector faces.”
