France aims to bring 150,000 new farmers into the profession over the next 10 years to replace the many who will retire during that period while speeding up the sector’s ecological transition, French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau announced on Sunday.
With half of France’s farmers due to retire in the next 10 years, Fesneau said he wants the number of new farmers joining the profession to grow exponentially.
“We need to attract more young people, and also the not-so-young, to ensure the renewal of generations”, the minister said at the annual party of the Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) union in Cambrai on Sunday.
To make the sector more attractive, a communication campaign aimed at schoolchildren will soon be launched, along with new opportunities for apprenticeships to discover the agricultural professions and the development of training.
The aim is to increase the number of apprentices by 30%, “so that there are enough jobs to go around”, said Fesneau.
To achieve these ambitions, the minister has pledged an additional €1 billion in 2024 – a 15% increase in the budget – and €2.5 billion for 2025 and 2026.
These funds will also enable us to support farmers in the environmental transition, such as reducing pesticide use, decarbonising the sector and adapting to global warming.
“I would sum up this horizon as continuing to regain our sovereignty through our capacity for resilience and therefore our ability to support the great transitions underway,” he stressed.
In a press release, Greenpeace regretted the absence of any commitment to the transition of the livestock sector, “although it is at the heart of the agri-food transition, which is extremely disappointing”.
The government is currently drafting a bill on the matter, which will be considered by parliament in December.
(Hugo Struna | EURACTIV.fr)
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