Vested interests get in the way of young farmers’ boost

There are welcome signs that the EU is getting serious about tackling the disastrous age profile of its farmers — and Ireland should be ready to support the current proposals floating around in Brussels, the main one of which is zero interest rate loans for land acquisitions by young farmers.

It’s only a proposal, and young people interested in farming shouldn’t depend on it becoming a reality any time soon. If it moves at the usual speed of EU decision making, it could be a few years before it happens — even if there is widespread support behind it from the member states, something which hasn’t materialised yet.

Commendable though the proposals to boost EU support tools for young farmers are, Ministers representing member states at this week’s Farm Council meeting in Brussels were divided.