Urging the co-legislator to take on its responsibilities for the CAP reform, he stressed that the measures for young farmers put forward in the Commission proposals and endorsed in Capoulas Santos’ draft reports are achievable, and that any alternative which undermines them are unacceptable in view of the gravity of the current age crisis.

Speaking to more than 30 Members of European Parliament attending a lunch on 18 September during which MEPs had the opportunity to exchange their views on the CAP reform with delegations of young farmers from all over the EU, Joris Baecke insisted on the importance of major elements of the proposed measures for young farmers and called on MEPs to support them in view of compromise amendment negotiations.

Specifically, Mr Baecke focused on the mandatory aspect of the top-up, corresponding to at least two per cent of the national envelope, as well as the higher ratio of co-financing proposed for the young farmer sub-programme in the second pillar, representing a minimum of five per cent of total EAFRD budget.



Earlier in the morning, CEJA Vice-President Rok Sedminek also addressed the Young Meat Committee (YEMCO) of European Livestock and Meat Trading Union. Echoing the concern of the meat sector on the lack of generational renewal, he insisted that the current proposals for young farmers’ measures are a first step in the right direction, giving a clear signal to the new and future generations of farmers.

Highlighting the need for a ‘Common Installation Policy’ to accompany a new Common Agricultural Policy, Mr Sedminek ended his speech with a call to arms for the largely farming audience: “Now is the time to turn words into action. We need strong, effective measures to ensure generational renewal in European agriculture before it is too late.”