Young farmers key to making ‘Food Harvest 2020’ a plentiful one
22 July 2010
Food Harvest 2020 success will depend on the commitment to dynamic young farmers
Macra na Feirme National President Michael Gowing welcomed the forward thinking in the Food Harvest 2020 report but said its success will depend on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s commitment to dynamic young farmers who are the future of the industry and will help realise the potential of the report.
Mr. Gowing said: “It is important to have targets and aspiration for the industry but it is also very important to have young people involved in agriculture and ensuring they have the supports and structures that will assist them on the ground. We need to assist our young primary producers by breaking down the barriers to farm entry, an issue that was highlighted just this week by CEJA, the European young farmers organisation at the CAP post 2013 conference in Brussels.”
Mr Gowing continued: “Irish agriculture has a great opportunity to expand and develop many of its sectors. Sustained support and the implementation of policies that are directed at encouraging our young, entrepreneurial farmers are required by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
“Our Agricultural colleges are full of young educated farmers and they need to be confident that the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Government will support them and not turn their backs on them by failing to deliver schemes that encourage them into the industry like Installation Aid and other schemes that drive competitiveness.
“Government Departments are in a new budget reality but targeting supports to young farmers must be top priority, as Eurostat now highlight Ireland as having less than 6% of its farmers under 35 years old. Mr Gowing said if the Department doesn’t act soon there won’t be any young, dynamic primary producers to make Food Harvest 2020 report a reality.”
ENDS
