News & IFAC News
Macra in Brussels to coincide with Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting
Triologue heads attend CEJA’s Future Food Farmers campaign
Macra attended CEJA’s ‘Future Food Farmers’ campaign in Brussels on the 14th May which involved a high-level press conference where Joris Baecke presented Commissioner Ciolos, COMAGRI Chair Paolo de Castro MEP and President of the Farm Council Simon Coveney with the outcome of the campaign. The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness of the impending age crisis in EU agriculture and the now well-known statistic – only 6% of European farmers are under the age of 35 – in order to prompt strong measures to increase generational renewal in the sector in the final political agreement on the CAP 2014-2020.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloş, re-iterated the importance of supporting young farmers, stating that: “CEJA’s “Future Food Farmers” campaign, which has accompanied the Common Agricultural Policy reform process for several months now, has my full support”.
Chair of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Paolo de Castro (COMAGRI) underlining the Parliament’s commitment to young farmers’ measures: “The European Parliament’s position on the future CAP supports ambitious measures to reverse the negative demographic trend in the agricultural sector”.
President of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Simon Coveney, also underlined his support: “When we consider the shape of a reformed CAP, we will need a policy that continues to support farmers and that encourages generational renewal”.
Macra launch conference report in Brussels
The President of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Simon Coveney, also launched Macra’s report from the young farmer conference in Dublin “RDP - Delivering for Young Agri Entrepreneurs 2014 -2020.”
Macra attend young farmer round table event in the EU Parliament
CEJA held a round table on young farmers in the European Parliament. The event speakers included chair of the Special Committee on Agriculture Dermot Ryan, and two EPP CAP shadow rapporteurs – Mairead McGuinness and Elisabeth Kostinger. Joris Baecke chaired the event. At the event Macra president Kieran O Dowd called for flexibility in the distribution of the 25% top-up for young farmers in order to maximise the benefit from the measure to young farmers. The Macra delegation of Kieran O Dowd, Alan Jagoe, Edmond Connolly and Derrie Dillon also attended the CEJA Presidium.
