The Agri committee in the European Parliament commissioned a study on “Generational Change in Agriculture” which was presented to committee MEPs in May. It’s authors presented their findings delving into a comparative analysis of businesses run by young farmers in Finland, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland.

There is growing concern right across Europe at the dwindling numbers of young people entering farming, hence the commissioning of this study which sits alongside other national and EU wide reports on the crises. Not surprisingly the report found that the number of young farmers continues to decline – from around 1.1 million in 2016 to 960,000 by last count in 2023. In 2023, around 11% of European farmers were below the age of 40 with around 1 in 100 under the age of 25. In an Irish context, around 40% of farmers are aged over 65 which is above the EU average. In response to this, the EU Commission is promising dedicated public expenditure of around €8bn alongside “starter packs” to include set-up aid, investment support, financial instruments and advisory services, accessible through the single package to support young farmers.

The proposal in the 2028-2034 CAP requires Member States to develop national strategies on generational renewal within the controversial new National and Regional Partnership Plans. The report is dense in statistics and graphs, but it makes for sober reading overall: between 2010 and 2023, the total number of farms across Europe declined from around 12 million to 8.4 million.

In a time of geopolitical uncertainty in eastern Europe coupled with rising fertilizer costs and the impact of climate change, these are new barriers to add to the “old reliables” like price, market volatility, rural depopulation and unforeseen weather events which hamper the everyday life of a farmer. In a recent letter to EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, the Secretary General of COPA & COGECA (the umbrella body for European farm and co-operative organisations), Elli Tsiforou rightly emphasized again the point that “Agriculture is not only an economic sector – it is a strategic asset for Europe. In the current geopolitical context, any weakening of the Common Agricultural Policy would not only harm the agricultural sector but also undermine Europe’s strategic autonomy and security.”

This is the bottom line before any commitment can be made to support young farmers, we cannot forget those that are currently producing the food and working the land. The message the Commission is currently sending out is worrying in terms of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposal to completely overhaul and cut the funding of CAP. What young person wants to go farming with such uncertainty about the EU commitment to support the sector?

Ireland takes over the Presidency of the EU in a few weeks’ time where the MFF and subsequently the next CAP will be high on the agenda. By fully supporting a robust, structured and fully funded CAP beyond 2028, we might have a chance of attracting more young people to enter one of Europe’s most important strategic businesses.

Note: Letter from Brussels appears in the June 2026 edition of the Irish Farmers Monthly magazine