RAPPORTEUR’S ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRES CIRCULATED TO YOUNG FARMERS ACROSS THE EU AND IDENTIFICATION OF GENERAL TRENDS

RAPPORTEUR’S ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRES CIRCULATED TO YOUNG FARMERS ACROSS THE EU AND IDENTIFICATION OF GENERAL TRENDS Enhancingyouthemployment in agriculture for a more sustainable Europe Ir. TerronesGavira François Pr. Lebailly Philippe CEJA ROUND TABLE 27-28 FEBRUARY 2013

CONTEXT • In 2007, only 6% of agricultural holders are below the age of 35 in the EU 27 • Between 2000-2007 in EU-15 Rate of decrease : • in the total number of farmers = 15.3% • in the number of farmers younger than 35 years = 47.6%!!! In 2007, for each farm holder younger than 35 years there were 9 farmers older than 55 years in the UE-27 Source : Eurostat, Farmsurvey, 2000-2007

CONTEXT • CEJA • find European funding to organize a round table on the topic of employment and training in agriculture • Gembloux Agro bio tech (Ulg) • To assist CEJA in drafting questionnaires • To assist CEJA in the analysis of the questionnaires and to draft and summarise the results of the survey

SURVEY • OBJECTIF OF THE SURVEY • A « tool » to generate discussion • About the needs and the challenges of YF • How facilitate the access and employment of young people in the agricultural sector ? • 3 axis • Vocational Education and Training (VET) in agriculture • Access to the agricultural profession • Installation aid

SURVEY • Interviews with the farmers : • by telephone • during CEJA working group • CEJA members organisations meeting group

SURVEY • Participation on a voluntary basis • Not representative of the EU YF • Appropriate for conducting an exploratory investigation and identifyparticulartrends • Becauseparticipatingfarmers are : • Aware • Proactive • Interested to share their experience and expectations about employment and the VET • Engage fruitfull and productive discussion

RESULTS • Characterization of the sample • Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture • Access to the agricultural profession • Installation aid

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAMPLE • The average age : 28 years old • 8 out of 10 YF are men • 9 out of 10 YFare son or daughters of farmers • 8 out of 10 YF are already installed • 80 % of YF are installed recently between 2003 and 2012

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAMPLE Number of occurences

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAMPLE • Nearly half of young farmers rent more than 75% of their land of their farm

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAMPLE

VET IN AGRICULTURE • 80% follow VET prior to become a farmer • 80% of YF considered that it is easy to have access to VET • Often EU YF installation subsidies is linked to a minimum education (ex : France, Finland,…) • Nearly half of YF have a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in agriculture Untrue to conclude that YF follow VET only to obtain easier access to public support

VET IN AGRICULTURE

ACCESS TO THE AGRICULTURAL PROFESSION

ACCESS TO THE AGRICULTURAL PROFESSION • National or regional initiatives to facilitate access to land for YF mentioned: • SAFER in France • Ismea in Italy • Bolsa de terra in Portugal • YF have priority to access this grant (program has not been established yet) • Early Farm Retirement Scheme in Finland and Ireland (co-funded by the EU)

ACCESS TO THE AGRICULTURAL PROFESSION • National or regional initiatives to facilitate access to credit for YFmentioned: • Ismea in Italy • Special Subsidized Loans Medium Term Young Farmer in France • French state takes over responsibility for a portion of the loan interest during 7 or 9 years • PIDIL programme in France : promote in particular the installation of potential new entrants • Young trained farmer stock relief in Ireland : relief from income tax and corporation tax • Low interest loan in Spain and Belgium

INSTALLATION AID • 61% of the farmers received installation aid • 39% didn’t receive it for differentreasons : • Absence of installation aid in their country (Ireland, Germany and Slovakia) • They didn’t have the conditions to obtain it • They didn’t apply to obtain it • They have bureaucracy problem because they were just beginning their agricultural activity • In Spain, global financial crisis • In Poland, budget allocated fully used

INSTALLATION AID • form of the installation aid

INSTALLATION AID

INSTALLATION AID • “How access to profession of farmer could be improved?” • For YF who received installation aid : • Facilitating access to land • Promoting agriculture in the society • Appropriate income • Scheme to support to young farmers • Others elements such as “facilitating access to credit”, “bureaucracy”, “more continuous formation” and “more budget for installation aid”

INSTALLATION AID • “How access to profession of farmer could be improved?” • For YF who didn’t received installation aid • Schemes to support young farmers • All farmers and government could do more to encourage YF employing them in part-time; getting them interested when they are teens; learn them about the enterprise that is a farm or making measures advantageous for partnership with YF

DISCUSSION • VET • Easy access and good quality • YF seem conscious that their economic viability will depend largely on how they manage their farms, but also that economic viability should not be done at the expense of the environment • YF request more VET : • Business management • Finance • protection of the environment and biodiversity

DISCUSSION • ACCESS TO THE AGRICULTURAL PROFESSION • The main challenges for YF to enter into the profession are : • Access to land • High investment • Access to credit • But also : • Promoting agriculture in the society • Appropriate income • Scheme to support to YF  YF didn’t receive installation aid

DISCUSSION • INSTALLATION AID • YF who received installation aid • Not difficult to get it • However, the delay for approval installation aid is long • YF didn’t receive installation aid • Scheme to support to YF

DISCUSSION • CAP REFORM AFTER 2013 opportunity for YF? • Generational renewal in agriculture is one of the priorities in the Commission’s proposal • Support scheme for YF under pilar I • Preferentialratio of co-financing available in pilar II  Recommendationsat EU level to enhanceyouthemployment in agriculture for a more sustainable Europe

DISCUSSION THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAMPLE • Farm size of the sample : • Between 3 hectares to 700 hectares • The most represented size of the farm groups are the 0 – 20 and 20 – 40 hectares respectively with 19% and 14% of cases • 60% of farms are less than 100 hectares

RAPPORTEUR’S ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRES CIRCULATED TO YOUNG FARMERS ACROSS THE EU AND IDENTIFICATION OF GENERAL TRENDS