Evaluation of the Impact of the CAP on Generational Renewal

Key points

• Farm income was mentioned as a major challenge in attracting young farmers into the sector in all Member States. The issue of the low level of farm incomes and the difference between the income in farming and the income in other sectors of society in the same predominantly rural regions was consistently raised.
• While recognising the need to maintain the highest standards of production in the EU, young farmers saw the importing of agricultural products with standards below those which apply in the EU as a curb on their ability to get fair prices and returns from the market.
• The large majority of consulted stakeholders maintain that the supplement to their income granted by the direct payment to young farmers is a decisive factor in choosing a farming career. Indeed, there is a strong conviction that most young farmers would not have been able to enter the profession without that top-up support.