Ciarán Mullooly: Ring-fence 10% of CAP for Young Farmers

Ciarán Mullooly addresses the Parliament on the link between succession planning and EU food security, and outlines amendments to ring-fence 10% of the future CAP for generational renewal. He calls for administrative fairness, support for family land leasing, voluntary retirement incentives, stronger succession advice and legal certainty for farm transfers.

Main argument

Ciarán Mullooly argues that food security is the continuity of Europe's food supply and that succession planning is therefore an essential pillar of the European Union's food security strategy. He says generational renewal requires concrete supports for young farmers, not just good intentions.

Budget proposal and Member State action

Mullooly sets out amendments that call for 10% of the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget to be ring-fenced for generational renewal and urges Member States to use the full flexibility available to maximise national investment. He frames this as a necessary move to enable young farmers to build a future in agriculture.

Administrative fairness and protections

He stresses that young farmers often face a complex CAP system and that genuine administrative mistakes should not lead to disproportionate penalties or full recovery of aid where there has been no fraud or deliberate negligence. Mullooly emphasises that "An accident is an accident."

Measures to remove barriers to succession

The amendments he supports remove barriers to succession through measures such as family land leasing, voluntary retirement incentives, stronger succession advice, and greater legal certainty for farm transfers. He concludes by expressing his expectation that these measures will be adopted.