CEJA Young Farmers' Gazette | December 2024
Dear CEJA’s LinkedIn Network,
Welcome to the last newsletter of 2024, a monthly recap of CEJA’s activities on policy, projects, events and our fantastic European young farmers. Yes, this newsletter is sent out the day before we go on holiday and 10 days before the end of the month. But do not worry, even in such a short space of time, there is just as much, if not more, to tell you about our monthly activities. We have had:
Bringing many young farmers to the EU Agrifood bubble
CEJA Working Group
Our monthly Working Group brought together over 40 young farmers in Brussels to discuss key policy developments. We kicked off with a strong agenda, following up on previous discussions on topics such as carbon farming, the generational renewal strategy, and the livestock strategy.
CEJA’s working group also delved into a wide range of ongoing policy developments, including:
In the afternoon, our Vice-Presidents, Katharina Schobersberger and Matteo Pagliarani, led discussions on our position regarding the post-2027 CAP. The focus was on environmental and climate action, where we discussed how to design truly incentivising voluntary measures and explored the future of conditionality.
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EU AgriFood Days
Every year, DG AGRI brings together agri-food system stakeholders, civil society, consumers, academia and policymakers from across the EU. They discuss the latest agricultural trends, policy options, market developments, as well as how research, innovation and digital technologies are shaping European agriculture of today and tomorrow.
The focus of the 10th of October was the vision for agriculture and food. European farmers had the opportunity to share their stories. Participants will also discuss the position of farmers in the food value chain and the outlook for EU agricultural markets.
This year, CEJA brought a delegation of young farmers to the Conference, where they had front-row seats to inspiring keynote speeches by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen , and European Investment Bank President Nadia Calvi?o .
Some highlights were:
Have a look at the wrap-up video of the event. The presentations given at the Agri-Food Days, the video recordings of the sessions as well as some pictures will be made available soon on the conference page.
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CEJA reaction to the EIB loan package here.
Have a look at the wrap-up video of the event. The presentations given at the Agri-Food Days, the video recordings of the sessions as well as some pictures will be made available soon on the conference page.
CEJA in events
Youth Dialogue
On 11 December 2024, in parallel of the EU AgriFoodDays, Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, participated in the EU Youth Policy Dialogue on “Building together the future of farming, food, and rural areas” organised by the European Commission (DG Agri). This initiative follows the priority set by the new College of having more consideration for youth, as recommended in the mission letters of President von der Leyen to its new College members.
For CEJA, President Meedendorp and Vice-President Katharina Schobersberger took part. It was a perfect opportunity to raise the challenges of young farmers and our vision when in comes to the upcoming Action Plan on Generational renewal, announced by Commissioner Hansen.
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EPP Young Farmers Congress
On the same day, the 10th edition of the European Congress of Young Farmers took place, co-organised by ASAJA (Asociación Agraria-Jóvenes Agricultores) . CEJA president Peter Meedendorp participated in a panel discussion and highlighted a critical societal choice needs to be made: “What is the room for agriculture in Europe” . He also stressed the importance of collaboration, stating: “We cannot become sustainable just by ourselves. We will need the value chain and we will need the policy makers on our side.”
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?CEJA Vice President Matteo Pagliarani also addressed the event, and took the opportunity to highlight the need to prioritise creating the right opportunities for both the new and existing generation of farming. He added that ensuring fair pricing for agricultural products must remain key focus
You can watch the entire event, including CEJA member interventions here (https://youtu.be/n8t1hy_-kZc)
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Continued dialogue on the future CAP with VP Pulkstenis
Furthermore, CEJA Vice-President Rūdolfs Pulkstenis participated in a European Parliament event this month to discuss the upcoming post-2027 CAP. Organised by Baltic Sea Action Group, BSAG and hosted by MEP Elsi Katainen and MEP Pekka Toveri ,? the event saw a panel of diverse EU stakeholders. Rūdolfs presented the young farmers and highlighted among others the importance common dialogue and the priorities of young farmers for the upcoming CAP.
ARIA awards
Every December, the EU CAP Network hosts the Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards to acknowledge inspirational and innovative projects from the sector. This year CEJA secretary-General @Marion Picot was there to hand out the award for the category “Rural Youth”.
See Marion’s impressions in her dedicated Linked-In post here as well as more information on the EU CAP Network here.
领英推荐
CAP Network Thematic Group on Generational Renewal
The second meeting of the Generational Renewal thematic group took place this month, with some of CEJA members. It explored key changes in policy and practice to boost young people's engagement in agriculture.
Photos and presentations here.
Rolling-up our sleeves on policy files
Two legislative proposals to strengthen farmers’ position in the supply chain
On the 10th of December, the European Commission published its legislative proposals to strengthen farmers’ position in the agri-food supply chain and enhance cross-border enforcement against unfair trading practices (UTPs). The long-awaited proposals, announced by President Von der Leyen in March 2024 as a reaction to farm protests, and supported by the Strategic Dialogue on the future of agriculture, offer concrete tools to farmers on the fronts of cooperation and contractualisation, including long-term demands from young farmers. Some question marks remain open, however, particularly regarding enforcing rules against Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs), whose challenges go beyond cross-border considerations.
Check CEJA’s press release here.?
Opposition to the Political Free Trade Agreement with Mercosur
Following the trade political agreement between the European Commission and Mercosur in Montevideo (Uruguay) on the 6th of December 2024, CEJA dedicated part of its working group to:
Earlier in November, CEJA reiterated its opposition to the Free Trade Agreement, together with Copa-Cogeca and EFFAT, in a Joint Press Release you can read here.
Action Plan on Generational renewal
The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) welcomes the ambition of Commissioner Hansen to propose an Action Plan for generational renewal in agriculture, as proposed by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture.
With over 66 years of existence, CEJA has gathered lots of data, examples, anecdotes to build a strong mapping of the challenges to generational renewal in agriculture, as well as precise recommendations. In this regard, CEJA stands ready to contribute, to show the urgency to act on a well-identified worrying trend: only 6.9% of EU farmers are below 35 years old. There is a generation full of ideas, projects, and aspirations, that needs to be enabled to make its ambition a reality that benefits the sector and society as a whole. Too many barriers to entrepreneurship in agriculture make it a sector with too little attractiveness, to easily competed by other sectors of the economy. It is a societal and intergenerational issue that requires ambitious actions on access to land, access to finance, knowledge, education, innovation, income, social inclusion, rural areas, risk management, climate change, mental health and well-being… CEJA continues to engage and mobilises its member organisation to for rich contributions.
Before we tell you more about the action plan, check again our Manifesto for Generational renewal here.
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Vision for the Future
In parallel, CEJA prepares for the Vision for the Future of agriculture and Food, to make sure it brings prospects for the younger generation in the diversity of agricultural sectors in Europe.
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Work-life balance in agriculture
With the unique challenges of agriculture, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and let work take over every aspect of your life. This holiday season, we're kicking off our campaign #BalanceTheField to share practical tips and experiences from farmers who’ve learned how to create a healthier balance between work and personal life. Join us over the next two weeks for real strategies to improve wellbeing on the farm, from managing burnout to setting boundaries and prioritizing yourself. ?? What are your strategies to achieve a better work-life balance? Share in the comment section of the newsletter.
Check out our #BalanceTheField Instagram campaign here.
In the European Parliament Plenary, MEPs debated with Commissioner Hansen on “Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving conditions including their mental health; an opportunity to shed a light, once again, on CEJA Projects FarmRes (Mental health in young farmers community and rural areas) and SafeHabitus (Farm Health and Safety Knowledge Innovation Systems).
You can rewatch here
Opportunities
New Thematic Group on Valuing Farmers' Wider Contributions to Society It will explore the broader societal value farmers bring to rural communities, sharing insights & good practices to raise awareness.
Express your interest by 12 January 2025: https://bit.ly/4galV2g
Join the SafeHabitus focus groups!
Are you a young farmer or new entrant to agriculture?
SafeHabitus, a Horizon Europe-funded project, is dedicated to improving the working conditions, health, safety, and wellbeing of farmers. The aim is to make farming a more attractive and sustainable profession. To achieve this, we need your input—your expectations, experiences, and ideas on how to create better working environments in agriculture.
We invite you to take part in one of three online focus groups, scheduled for January and February 2025. These sessions, conducted in English and lasting approximately 90 minutes, will explore important topics, including:
If you’re interested, please register your participation by completing this short survey: Shape the Future of Farming: Focus Group Discussion - 1KA | Web surveys
We look forward to hearing from you and working together to shape a better future for farming!
Shape the Future of Farming: Focus Group Discussion - 1KA | Web surveys
It has been an intense but enriching year, with a hectic Strategic Dialogue on the future agriculture, EU elections and a new governance, many activities with our Membership, but also with all of you: farmers, stakeholders, decision-makers, civil society, researcher, academia…
Many thanks for following our activities and looking forward to 2025 already!
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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2 个月6.9% below 35 years old! Christophe Hansen has an uphill battle, but he's the right person for the job.