The future of farming in Europe

Last updated on Tuesday, 23/07/2024

Young’ and ‘farmer’ are not necessarily two words that people easily connect with one another. Popular images of farmers include middle-aged men dressed in plaid shirts living a traditional lifestyle and placed in opposition to modern values and ways of life.

I grew up on a small beef and sheep farm in rural West Cork, Ireland and early childhood memories include watching the lambing and calving in Spring, helping with the silage cut in Summer, and being continually out of doors. It was my mother who was the main farmer in our house. It was my mother who ingrained in me a deep appreciation for the natural world, treating the farming profession as a vocation and seeing herself as caretaker of land which has been in our family for generations.

© 2021 Alannah Wrynn

It was the best of childhoods, but although my parents loved their lifestyle, and still do, the days were always long and the hours irregular. My parents, like many farmers, spend a huge amount of time working on physically demanding tasks in all kinds of weather with little financial reward. Farming is a difficult job and requires an incredible level of commitment.

The decision of which career path to follow is a difficult decision for all young people, but especially for those from a farming background where ideas of career, identity and family are so intricately intertwined. For young people who want flexibility, travel, or a good work-life balance in their future careers, farming doesn’t really seem to fit the bill.

Only 5.6% of all European farms are run by farmers younger than 35 while more than 31% of all farmers are older than 65. Farming is in many ways a job suited to young people, with the physical strength and stamina needed for such a demanding job, but as populations continue to live for longer the average age of farmers continues to rise. The European Commission has warned that many countries in Europe are facing a ‘generational renewal problem’ in agriculture and has commented that “attracting young and well-trained people is crucial for the sustainability of food production and therefore food availability”. Significantly farming remains an occupation dominated by men in Europe.

© 2020 Eurostat

So what is driving young people away from the farming profession? What does this mean for the future of European food production and trade? As climate change becomes one of the world's most pressing challenges, what needs to change about the agricultural sector to make it both sustainable and economically viable for the next generation? 

© From istock by Filippo Bacci

When I was sixteen, I first became involved in the world of climate activism and began campaigning with my local Fridays for Future. I was quickly struck by how polarised conversations about climate action had become, particularly in the media, with narratives of farmers as climate deniers and opponents of climate action being thrown around carelessly. I found this startling and confusing as all my life I had thought of farmers as caretakers of the land. I started to feel that the two parts of my life, me as a farmer’s daughter and me as a climate activist were irreconcilable.

The first half of 2024 has seen farming protests sweep across Europe as farmers from France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Spain and Greece among other countries have taken the streets. In conversation with Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Ireland South Grace O’Sullivan, we discussed these protests as well as what the future of farming looks like in Europe. “No farmers, no food” she spells out simply. “There is currently an imbalance in both age and gender within farming”. Grace O’Sullivan is an outspoken climate advocate, and describes this current imbalance as “very very concerning”.

“What we need is attractive succession plans or else we’re going to lose the opportunity to be able to supply European citizens with food produced in the EU”. There is a tendency to lump dairy, beef, sheep, tillage and horticulturists together under the broad term of ‘farmer,’ but as the Irish MEP points out ‘we need to identify what kind of farming we’re talking about.’ The needs and concerns of a dairy farmer are very different to that of a tillage farmer.

Grace O’Sullivan MEP was outspoken in her opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement from when she entered the European Parliament in 2019. “I think it’s a bad deal”, she says honestly. Farmers already suffering the effects of the price shocks brought about by the war in Ukraine are now facing a new trade agreement that has the potential to undercut food prices as cheaper imports enter the market. The EU-Mercosur trade agreement has been a key part of farming protests across Europe as farmers become more and more frustrated with both national and EU policy.

© Grace O Sullivan, 2024

As the climate crisis looms with ever-increasing intensity, it is only a matter of time before we reach the topic of climate change. “It’s time to make farming an exciting way of living. The villains shouldn’t be the farmers, it’s those feeding this broken system”, she speaks passionately, referring to large chemical fertiliser manufacturers. The question of farmer well-being is a well-placed discussion point. There is a great sense of pride to be achieved in producing your own quality food and keeping your farm in good working order. “It’s what they know, it’s what they love”, O’Sullivan comments, “it’s time we made sure farmers feel they have a serious contribution to make to society”.

The picture is not as bleak as it may sometimes seem. Across Europe, social farming offers those who are socially, physically, mentally or intellectually disadvantaged the opportunity to spend time on a farm in a healthy and safe environment, while the Nature Restoration Law will see new funding streams emerge to ensure 30% of degraded habitats are restored by 2030. From this will benefit both farmers and the environment.

New technological innovation means that farmers are constantly finding ways to make their production process more efficient and environmentally friendly. If governments and EU institutions choose to work with farmers instead of against them and if we as a society can find a way to make farming both sustainable and profitable for the producer, farming can be an industry that attracts the next generation of food producers. It’s a tall order, but I think we’re capable of it.
 

_______________

Young Journalists in Europe - Meet the author

Alannah Wrynn
My name is Alannah Wrynn and I am an Irish nineteen-year-old studying History and Politics at Trinity College Dublin. I come from a farming background in rural West Cork and have been campaigning as a climate activist since the age of sixteen when I joined the Future Generations Climate Justice Project and began campaigning for sustainable food production methods. I took part in YMCA Ireland’s Youth Journalist project combining my passion for environmental protection with a flourishing interest in journalism. Since then I have continued to use videos, interviews and photography as a way to share information and inspire action.

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission and Eurodesk cannot be held responsible for it.