Ireland’s schemes for young farmers are as progressive as any of our counterparts, European council of young farmers (CEJA) vice-president Seán Finan told the Irish Farmers Journal.

While Ireland leads the way on many schemes, Finan has highlighted the areas for improvement which could keep Ireland in the policy lead.

“The business startup grant, or formerly installation aid, is available in all member states apart from three, with Ireland being one of the few not offering this vital fund,” he said.

“The five-year rule is also not implemented in many other EU states. Interest rates on loans also vary greatly here when compared to the rest of Europe.

“There needs to be a financial instrument under Pillar II which allows young farmers to obtain loans from other sources than a bank.”

On an EU level, Finan has many key ambitions for member states in the next CAP.

“Firstly, there can’t be any backsliding on budget allocation to young farmers in the next CAP.

“We want 4% of all measures to be allocated to young farmers but it’s looking as if this will be closer to 3%,” he continued.

“All young farmers under the age of 40 should be treated equally and the five-year rule should be axed altogether.

“We also need a common definition of a young farmer across all member states along with and enhanced definition of a genuine farmer.

“The biggest worry is what will the upper age of a young farmer be set at.

“There’s huge variation across the EU and this will lead to poor comparison of how schemes and initiatives are performing.”