Most of EU farmers learning only through practical practice
Eurostat figures updated to 2013 show the vast majority of EU farmers have learned only through practical experience.
More than 80% of the oldest farmers never had agricultural training.
Only about 20% of all farmers have received even basic training.
Elderly farmers still represent the majority in Europe, with almost a third aged 65 or over.
Agriculture is the sector in which it is most common for people to continue work after the age of 65.
In particular, managers aged 65 or over accounted for half (50.1%) of all holding managers in Portugal, and for at least a third in Romania (41%), Cyprus (40%) Italy (39.7%), Bulgaria (36.7%), Lithuania (34%), Spain and Croatia (both 33.3%).
Farmers aged 55 to 64 accounted for at least a quarter of all farm managers in nearly every EU member state.
At the other end of the scale, Germany (6.5%), Austria (8.6%), Poland (9.6%), Finland (10.2%), France (12.4%) and Luxembourg (14.4%) registered the lowest proportions of managers aged 65 or over.
For the younger age group, under-35s stood below 10% in all EU Member States, except Poland (12.1%) and Austria (10.9%).
The lowest proportions of young farmers were recorded in Cyprus (1.7%), Denmark and Portugal (both 2.5%) and the Netherlands (3.1%).
With 5.5% under 35, Ireland is near the average (6%).
