MEPs back CEJA call for bank guarantee for young farmers

CEJA, the European Council of Young farmers, has strongly welcomed the written question on young farmers submitted to the European Commission by a number of prominent members of the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development.

MEPs Paolo de Castro, Albert Dess, Jens Rohde, James Nicholson, Janusz Wojciechowski, Matt Carthy, and Czeslaw Siekierski, chair of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, all threw their weight behind the written submission on measures to support young farmers.

Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has been quizzed on the issue of lack of access to credit for young farmers, and particularly on details about the possibility for co-operation with the European Investment Bank.

CEJA has been publicly calling for a closer co- operation with the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund in order to create a European bank guarantee for young farmers.

“I am delighted to see the European Parliament sending out such a strong message for support for young farmers,” said CEJA president Matteo Bartolini.

“It is promising to see MEPs standing by our proposal for the creation of a European bank guarantee for young farmers and promoting measures to improve access to land, thereby confirming their commitment to the cause of generational renewal in EU farming — particularly considering their influence on EU agricultural policy-making,” Mr Bartolini added.

“The Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development has shown young farmers substantial support in recent years and we hope that ministers in the council will embrace this proposal put forward by the Italian presidency.”

CEJA comprises 27 young farmer organisations from 21 EU states.