On generational renewal in agriculture

(2026/2041(INI))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to Articles 38, 39 and 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the conditions for the implementation of the Union support to the Common Agriculture Policy for the period from 2028 to 2034 (COM(2025)0560),

–having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security for the period 2028-2034 and amending Regulation (EU) 2023/955 and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 (COM(2025)0565),

–having regard to the Commission communication of 21 October 2025 entitled ‘Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture’ (COM(2025)0872),

–having regard to the Commission communication of 19 February 2025 entitled ‘A Vision for Agriculture and Food – Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations’ (COM(2025)0075),

–having regard to the study requested by its Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development entitled ‘Generational change in agriculture: Comparative analysis of businesses run by young farmers in selected EU countries’, published by the Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies of its Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union in April 2026,

–having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2022 on a long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 20401,

–having regard to having regard to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals,

–having regard to its resolution of 10 September 2025 on the future of agriculture and the post-2027 common agricultural policy2,

–having regard to its resolution of 30 April 2026 on women’s entrepreneurship in rural and island areas and outermost regions3,

–having regard to its resolution of 19 October 2023 on generational renewal in the EU farms of the future4,

–having regard to the opinion under discussion of the European Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Strategy for generational renewal in agriculture’,

–having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 18 March 2026 entitled ‘Generational renewal strategy’,

–having regard to its resolution of 14 June 2023 on ensuring food security and long-term resilience of EU agriculture5,

–having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/20136,

–having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/20137,

–having regard to the Commission report of 27 March 2024 entitled ‘The long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas: key achievements and ways forward’ (COM(2024)0450),

–having regard to Special Report No 10/2017 of the European Court of Auditors entitled ‘EU support to young farmers should be better targeted to foster effective generational renewal’, adopted on 31 May 2017,

–having regard to the EU CAP Network report of October 2025 entitled ‘Assessment of generational renewal strategies across EU Member States,

–having regard to the Commission Analytical Brief No 15 of March 2026 entitled ‘Women in farming in the EU,

–having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A10-0000/2026),

A.whereas the average age of EU farmers rose from 55 in 2010 to 57 in 2020;

B.whereas women account for only 26 % of farmers under the age of 40;

C.whereas between 2010 and 2023, the number of farms managed by farmers under the age of 35 fell by 47 %;

D.whereas young farmers in the EU faced a financing gap of EUR 14.1 billion in 2022, 11 % higher than in 2017;

A strategic framework for generational renewal

1.Stresses that generational renewal is essential to ensuring the resilience and competitiveness of EU agriculture and safeguarding food security;

2.Warns that the proposed reduction of the 2028-2034 common agricultural policy (CAP) budget risks undermining generational renewal; stresses that attracting and retaining young farmers requires dedicated funding;

3.Regrets that the ambition of the generational renewal strategy is not reflected in the CAP proposals; calls for 10 % of the post-2027 CAP budget to be ring-fenced for young farmers and generational renewal;

4.Stresses that effective generational renewal requires an integrated approach linking CAP support with policies on land, finance, succession, education and rural services;

5.Calls for the specific situation of islands, mountain areas and uplands, outermost regions and areas with natural or structural constraints to be fully recognised in addressing generational renewal;

6.Welcomes the proposed 2028-2034 CAP farmer starter pack and stresses the importance of one-stop shops in providing integrated access to funding, training and advisory services aimed at young farmers, and of reducing administrative burdens on them;

7.Calls on the Commission to increase targeted income support for young farmers and extend support periods to better reflect agricultural production cycles and long-term investment horizons;

Guaranteeing access to land

8.Stresses that access to land remains a major barrier to generational renewal owing to high prices, limited availability, speculative acquisitions and insufficient succession planning;

9.Calls on the Member States to improve land access for young farmers, including for new entrants, through all available means, including scoring systems, pre-emptive rights, collaborative farming arrangements, collective land acquisition and expanded land-matching mechanisms to support land mobility;

10.Invites the Commission to make the EU Land Observatory fully operational, with transparent and regularly updated data on land ownership, transfers and prices;

11.Stresses that payment entitlements should support, rather than hinder, generational renewal by ensuring fair access to these payment entitlements, preventing speculative transfers and aligning entitlement systems with farm succession, land mobility and productive agricultural activity;

Securing finance and risk management

12.Warns that agriculture requires high upfront investments; points out that young farmers often do not have savings, collateral or a credit history, which limits their access to finance;

13.Calls for tailored financial instruments for young farmers and new entrants and invites the Commission and the Member States to expand financing tools, including blended finance, guarantees, revolving funds, low-interest loans and long-term credit;

14.Warns that young farmers are increasingly exposed to climate, market and disease-related risks and face unequal access to risk-management tools; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen risk-management tools and improve accessibility for young farmers;

15.Stresses the importance of communication on financing and risk-management tools to increase their uptake among young farmers;

Facilitating intergenerational farm succession

16.Points out that farm succession is hindered by inadequate pensions, financial insecurity, complex inheritance rules and administrative burdens;

17.Invites the Member States to review their pension schemes and retirement conditions and introduce incentives facilitating gradual retirement and intergenerational cooperation; stresses that older farmers must be able to retire with dignity and without losing basic income support;

18.Encourages the Commission and the Member States to develop integrated advisory models supporting farming families throughout succession planning, including the legal, financial, administrative and social aspects;

19.Emphasises that generational renewal cannot rely solely on family succession; calls for stronger support for new entrants, people from non-farming backgrounds, cooperative farming models and innovative access to productive assets;

Harnessing skills and innovation

20.Stresses the importance of vocational education, lifelong learning and digital and entrepreneurial skills in rural areas; encourages stronger cooperation between agricultural schools, universities, advisory services and local businesses;

21.Highlights the key role young farmers play in driving the uptake of innovative production models, precision farming and sustainable practices, thereby enhancing environmental sustainability and contributing to the digital transition;

22.Insists on fostering partnerships between young farmers, farm and forestry organisations, cooperatives, public research institutions and private companies to accelerate innovation and technology transfer, ensuring that all farmers may benefit from technological progress;

23.Underlines the need for campaigns promoting the strategic importance of EU food production; invites the Commission and the Member States to support school campaigns generating interest in farming careers;

Making rural life a viable option

24.Warns that farmers face long working hours, financial insecurity, market volatility, climate events, administrative burdens and social isolation; stresses that improving work-life balance is essential to making careers in agriculture more attractive;

25.Calls on the Member States to introduce and strengthen farm relief services covering sickness, annual and parental leave and participation in training;

26.Invites the Commission to develop an EU mental health action plan for agriculture, including sector-specific measures;

27.Stresses that generational renewal must also address persistent gender inequalities in agriculture; calls for targeted support for young female farmers and new entrants, as well as better access to land, finance and succession opportunities, women-focused advisory and mentoring programmes and stronger representation in agricultural organisations and decision-making bodies;

28.Calls on the Member States to include concrete actions in their national generational renewal strategies that promote the role of women in agriculture and rural entrepreneurship;

29.Highlights the fact that access to public services and digital infrastructure is a precondition for attracting young people and families to rural areas;

30.Calls for stronger support for the diversification of rural economies, including through the bioeconomy, agro-tourism and rural crafts, in order to create additional income opportunities and strengthen rural resilience;

31.Highlights the role of community-led local development and the LEADER programme in fostering rural innovation and diversification; calls for increased, ring-fenced LEADER funding in the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework;

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32.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.