Macra Press Release - Protests

On Thursday the 1st of February in Luxembourg Square, Brussels; the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) will protest for dignified living and working conditions. This protest joins with many others taking place across the EU looking for fairness for farmers.

Macra President Ms Elaine Houlihan said “The frustrations being felt by farmers across the EU have been well flagged, yet these frustrations are being ignored. Food production is in crisis, with 6.5% of farmers in the EU below the age of 35, there is little hope for the future of an industry that will age into obsolescence”.

Macra has for many years been promoting the case of young farmers or the lack thereof, the calls being made by Macra have been falling on deaf ears. Macra has been told, that the situation in Ireland is no worse than in our EU neighbours. Elaine said “using the fact that we are as bad as our EU neighbours when it comes to succession is a cop out, if there is a real appetite for change, then action as opposed to intransigence is required”.

Macra in our pre budget submission put forward a pilot scheme that would facilitate the transfer of land from older farmers who have more than served their time, to younger educated farmers who will farm in the most sustainable manner possible and in so doing achieve the environmental standards that are required of us.

Elaine said “If this government is serious about the environmental impact of farming, then real action is required, real action is facilitating the control of land to the next generation, who are both willing and able to make the seismic changes that are required, continued inaction and a reliance on the measure in CAP to effect the changes that are needed is tantamount to the government burying its head in the sand.

Date of Press Release: 01 Feb 2024

For follow on contact: Press Release from CEJA below

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