Europe’s farms are facing a growing generational crunch.
Most farmers are approaching retirement age and the profession is increasingly seen as financially risky and uncertain due to geopolitics and trade agreements. Both policymakers and young farmers are warning that the sector is struggling to attract a new generation.
“The average age of farmers is around 59,” European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen said at the European Parliament this morning.
Young farmers earn about “40 per cent less than their older counterparts”, while women farmers earn “between 30 per cent and 37 per cent less than men”, he said, highlighting the financial hurdles facing the next generation.
Hansen stressed the stakes are not only economic: “Maintaining farming … is essential— not only for food production but for biodiversity, rural maintenance and even security in certain regions, including near the Russian border,” he said.
Young farmers want the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reformed when the current one expires in 2027 to address these gaps with a more targeted income support system.
“During a visit in Sweden, a young female farmer told me she must choose between having children and running her farm because the nearest childcare is an hour away,” Hansen said.
“This is not compatible with farming, and this is why local services matter for the next generation of farmers.”
Despite raising red flags and announcing initiatives, young farmers do not feel reassured.
Peter Meedendorp, president of the European Young Farmers Organisation (CEJA), welcomed the CAP’s focus on generational renewal, particularly the “starter package” for young farmers but highlighted gaps in implementation.
The organisation warned that the legislative package appears rushed, fragmented and lacking transparency. National governments require clearer guidance and certain regulations may complicate rather than simplify national strategies.
Meedendorp said the uncertainty is particularly concerning for young farmers. “Without clear measures, the package risks sending a political signal that farming is not viable for the next generation.”
He said the proposals “lack of earmarked funding or guaranteed instruments for young farmers, and insufficient clarity on implementation timelines and responsibilities, leave the reform incomplete”.
“The package does not yet fully secure generational renewal,” he concluded, as “the next generation must see a viable future in farming, otherwise reforms risk failing at the demographic level”.
MEP and president of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP, Iratxe García Pérez, echoed the call for stronger support for young farmers. “CAP must guarantee strategic independence and food security, which includes supporting the next generation of farmers”, she said.
She also cautioned against expecting farmers, especially younger ones, to do “more with fewer resources”.
