Making farming a viable and attractive profession is essential if the next generation is to take over Europe’s farms. That was the message from ECR Shadow Rapporteur Veronika Vrecionová after the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee backed an own-initiative report on generational renewal in agriculture today. The report addresses the growing difficulty young people face when trying to enter the sector and take over existing farms.

Vrecionová said:

“Young people will not choose farming because Brussels tells them to. They will choose it if they can earn a decent living, invest in their business and see a future for themselves and their families. That has to be the starting point of any serious policy on generational renewal.

“Access to land and finance remains one of the biggest barriers for young farmers. We need practical support that helps them establish and grow viable farms, not another layer of forms, conditions and administrative costs.”

The ECR Group also considers generational renewal essential to food security and to the future of rural communities. Without economically sustainable farms, fewer young people will take over family holdings or enter agriculture from outside the sector.

Vrecionová concluded:

“Generational renewal is ultimately about whether farming can be passed on. If farmers cannot make a proper living today, there will be no next generation tomorrow. We need policies that keep farms competitive, rural areas alive and food production firmly rooted in our own countries.”