Galway MEP wants to ease path for next generation of farmers
Local MEP Maria Walsh has launched a call for submissions from Irish stakeholders as she begins writing the European Parliament’s report on generational renewal in farming.
As the Parliament’s lead negotiator on generational renewal, MEP Walsh is seeking input from young farmers, farming organisations, academics, rural groups, financial institutions and all those with an interest in the future of Irish and European agriculture.
The report will help shape the European Parliament’s position on how the EU can better support the next generation of farmers at a critical moment for the sector.
Maria Walsh, a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, said that we were facing a real and urgent question – who will farm our land into the future?
“The average age of farmers in Ireland is now close to 60, and the number of young farmers continues to decline,” she said.
“As the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on generational renewal, I am actively working to change this and that is why today I am launching a call for submissions from across the Irish agricultural sector.
“I want the Parliament’s position on generational renewal to really reflect the reality of farming in Ireland today.
“That means hearing directly from young farmers, from those trying to enter the sector and from the organisations and experts working with them.
“I am inviting stakeholders to share their experiences, the barriers they are facing and the practical solutions they believe would make a real difference,” she added.
The average age of farmers in Ireland is now close to 60, and the number of young farmers continues to decline,
The West MEP said that submissions did not need to be long, but they should be focused and constructive.
“I would strongly encourage people to include real examples that could be implemented at EU level,” she said.
“Submissions can be made easily through my website, and I am asking anyone with a perspective to take the time to contribute before the deadline of Friday week, May 8.
“Too many young people want to farm but are held back by cost, uncertainty and barriers that simply make it too difficult to get started.
"This report is an opportunity to set out exactly what needs to change and how we deliver it.
“Ireland has shown leadership on generational renewal, and we have strong and innovative ideas coming from across the sector. I want to make sure these voices are heard loud and clear in Brussels.
If we get generational renewal right, we protect not just our farms, but the fabric of rural Ireland itself,
“This is about securing the future of farming and rural communities across Ireland.
"If we get generational renewal right, we protect not just our farms, but the fabric of rural Ireland itself,” she concluded.
Also this week, Midlands North-West MEP Barry Cowen – a full member of the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee – has welcomed growing support in the Parliament against proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy, saying momentum is now building not just to resist reductions, but to restore lost funding through a credible alternative path.
He said that Parliament has already sent a clear political signal that a 20 per cent cut to the CAP is unacceptable and that agriculture cannot be asked to carry the burden of wider budget pressures.