Fine Gael MEP says EU must commit to mandatory funding targets for young farmers
Funding targets within the European Commission’s new Generational Renewal Strategy must be made mandatory if young farmers are to have hope for the future, a Fine Gael MEP has said.
The strategy, published today by European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, proposes to double the share of CAP funding for young farmers from 3% to 6%. However, unlike the current requirement, this new target is non-binding, raising concerns that national governments can ignore it if they so choose.
The average age of Irish farmers stands at 58 years, while only 4% of farmers are under the age of 35.
Maria Walsh MEP, full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, said:
“Aspirational doesn’t mean much if it’s not written into law. Moving from a mandatory 3% level of funding to a non-binding 6% is welcome but doesn’t go far enough; we need binding commitments over mere aspirations.
“If the EU is serious about tackling the generational crisis in farming, it must make this target mandatory. Without binding commitments, we risk another decade of empty promises while more family farms disappear.
“The crisis facing Ireland’s young farmers goes beyond agriculture. This is about the future of our rural communities. Every time a family farm closes, a young person is forced to leave, a local school loses pupils, and a village loses jobs.
“Every Member State has also been tasked to come up with their own Generational Renewal Strategy – a welcome and practical proposal from the Commission. Thanks to the foresightedness of my colleague Minister Martin Heydon, Ireland is already ahead of nearly every other EU country on this. Last month, the Minister published a set of recommendations to strengthen generational renewal – ideas which I know influenced what we’re seeing from the Commission today.
“However, good intentions won’t keep young people in farming without predictability and long-term security in the next CAP reform. Young farmers aren’t asking for handouts – they’re asking for a fair shot. To plan and invest, they need clear rules, stable policies and access to affordable land. You can’t build a future on shifting ground.
“We have the strategy, now we need the structure. If the EU truly wants to double the number of young farmers by 2040, that ambition needs to be reflected in binding funding, not just words on a page.”