CEJA (Confédération européenne des jeunes agriculteurs) underlines importance of generational renewal in EU farming population for enhancing the sustainability of livestock production systems.

On 6 November 2013, the Animal Task Force held their annual seminar in Brussels on sustainable livestock production systems. The morning session focused on contributions from industry and featured CEJA Vice President Paola Del Castillo as the only farmer on the panel. As an organic beef producer from Southern Spain, Ms Del Castillo highlighted the importance of engaging with farmers on the discussion of future livestock production in Europe, particularly with young farmers.

Sustainability, intertwined with responsibility and profitability, arose as the core theme of the discussions between stakeholders and policy-makers on future livestock production. The CEJA Vice President’s presentation outlined many of the challenges faced by livestock producers particularly in terms of profitability. Considering the demands in terms of safety and standards weighing heavy on farmers in Europe, it is essential that innovative livestock production systems are presented to them in a beneficial manner, particularly in the context of international competitiveness. All contributors to the conference, including CEJA, agreed that research and funding for this must be prioritised in order to achieve increasingly sustainable livestock production systems in Europe.

Even more importantly, considering the age skew in the EU farming population – where only 6% of European farmers are under the age of 35 and one third are over 65 – it is crucial that the demographic crisis in the agricultural sector is tackled before anything else. Young farmers have proven themselves to be more productive, more technologically-aware and more sustainable on average than their older counterparts – this is crucial in order to reform livestock production systems, to modernise and innovate them with the help of research and development. Ms Del Castillo highlighted the importance to young farmers for this point, stating that: “The farming sector is an old one, making it difficult to achieve progress. It is essential to convince farmers of the profitability of new options in order to engage with them on this issue. Young farmers are particularly open-minded about this, and therefore must be prioritised in the debate.”