The leader of the main EU-wide organisation for young farmers has called on agriculture ministers across the EU to provide "fair conditions" and "confidence to invest in the future".

Dutch farmer Peter Meedendorp, president of CEJA (which Macra is a member of) was addressing EU agriculture ministers who are meeting in Dublin this week for an "informal meeting" of the Council of the EU.

Ireland currently holds the rotating presidency of the council.

Responding to a question from Agriland at today's event, Meedendorp outlined what he believes the EU needs to do to get young people into the sector (see video below):

At the meeting of agriculture ministers today (Tuesday, September 8), Meedendorp acknowledged the damage done to farmland throughout Europe as a result of wildfires in recent months.

He called for "strong support" from the council of ministers to provide immediate relief to the impacted farmers, as well as long-term preparedness.

Meedendorp said that the climate extremes of this year "once again demonstrated the uncertain environment today’s farmers are operating in, substantially impacting the confidence of the next generation to invest in the future".

He added that this is particularly the case in the livestock sector, where more frequent animal disease outbreaks, unstable prices, high production costs, and uncertainty around environmental requirements are impacting young farmers' capacity to invest in technology.

"We are asking farmers to make 30-year investments without always providing 30-year confidence," Meedendorp stated.

"Innovation cannot be separated from investment, and investment cannot be separated from confidence."

According to the CEJA president, the livestock sector is "caught in a crossfire" of the multiple challenges European agriculture faces today, with generational renewal being "the most pressing".

Meedendorp repeated the CEJA view that the EU Livestock Strategy, published by the European Commission in July this year, can "only succeed if it delivers concrete actions for the next generation to enter the sector".

CAP

The farm leader said CEJA was awaiting "three signals" from the EU's leadership over the course of the autumn, ahead of possible finalisation of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Those "signals" include a CAP that makes generational renewal possible with "a mandatory budgetary ambition for generational renewal across EU member states".

As part of this, CEJA is calling for the necessary conditions to be provided to make the proposed 'starter pack' for young farmers in the next CAP a success.

CEJA is also demanding a "resilient and economically viable future for young farmers", with a policy frameworks that can enable young farmers to withstand both short-term crisis and long-term economic and climate pressures.

It also wants to a see a stronger voice in EU agri-policy for young farmers and rural youth organisations.

Additional reporting by Aisling O'Brien.