Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-01-16-Speech-2-188"
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"en.20010116.10.2-188"2
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"Mr President, I welcome this report. It certainly highlights the bleak future facing young farmers within the European Union, despite the support provided by the Union and Member States.
The current unfavourable economic climate for farming in general and young farmers in particular, the obvious lack of prospects for young farmers, the decline in the number of full-time farmers and the consequent ageing of those who remain – these are all general trends which underline the problem. It is clear that we will experience a drastic drop in the number of young farmers over the next couple of decades, unless appropriate and effective measures are put in place now.
Young farmers face enormous problems such as the massive financial burden when they start up and often this can be compounded by difficulties associated with inheritance. Training is often deficient, and for young people it can be an isolated life in rural areas, with limited social activity in comparison with those of a similar age who work in more urban settings.
All of this begs the question: what can the European Union do? A European policy aimed at supporting young farmers and linked to the CAP is essential. Up until now there has been little evaluation of EU assistance measures either by the Member States or the EU Commission. Greater attention must be given to interest rate subsidies and loans, installation aids and investment grants must be paid more speedily and the implications of enlargement on young farmers need to be considered and integrated into any future policy approach.
Other measures that could be considered are supplementary investment aid for farmers under 40, production rights, assistance with credit terms, better education, training and networking opportunities – one could go on. But the point I want to make is that we need to do something now. To take up the point made by Mr Nicholson: why should young people in the Celtic Tiger economy in Ireland remain on the land? Why should they face an anti-social life? Why should they be in a career which has economic uncertainty when other occupations offer a much more attractive life, much more security, work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with week-ends off and with long holidays? That is the problem we have to address and we must address it now."@en1
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