CEJA: European farmers addressed on CAP reform success
CEJA president, Matteo Bartolini, opened the conference to a hundred young farmers from across Hungary, Slovakia and the rest of Europe in Tata, Hungary.
The young farmer from Umbria, Italy, gave an overview of the content of the recently agreed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform to the audience of young farmers, underlining the importance of the inclusion of a strong common installation policy in the new CAP, made-up of strong measures in both pillars. Bartolini then called upon the young farmers to contact their ministers about these issues, to ensure that they get the best deal they possibly can out of this monumental reform of the CAP.
Other speakers included agricultural experts, advisors, and representatives from both the Hungarian and Slovakian ministries, as well as both presidents of the two national young farmer organisations; AGRYA in Hungary and ASYF in Slovakia. The conference focused on the future framework of agricultural policy in the European Union (EU) following on from the June political agreement on CAP which was made on 26 June 2013.
This agreement included a mandatory top-up of direct payments for young farmers and installation aid under rural development, among other policies. This is why it is crucial that all Member States stand by what they have previously said about the need for generational renewal in the EU agricultural sector, and choose a calculation method which maximises the 2% of their national budget in their particular situation; opt for young farmer installation aid as a key part of their Rural Development Programme, for which particularly high co-financing rates are available if a Member State requires them; and select most favourable and relevant measures possible as part of their young farmer subprogramme.
Speaking directly to the Hungarian and Slovak young farmers present at the conference, the CEJA president called on the audience for their support, saying: “We will do our best to represent your views at the European level and to achieve progress for young farmers across the Union. I, and my team of vice-presidents, will dedicate the coming months to ensure that farmers across the EU get the best deal possible out of the CAP reform; Europe can now start to implement serious measures to address the age crisis in European agriculture.”
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