Concerned young people send an open letter to the minister: We do not want to enter a profession and poison ourselves
Økologisk NuThe generational change in agriculture has become such a significant problem that it is not enough to mention it in a footnote. This is the opinion of FLUF, which is the Youth Department of Free Farmers - Living Land, and they have therefore sent an open letter and a meeting request to the Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare as well as relevant agricultural spokespersons to focus on the challenge of generational change in Danish agriculture. "We hope that with this letter we can show that there is both a great need, but also enthusiasm and engagement from young farmers to meet and find solutions to the generational shift. But if this solution is to last, the transformation of agriculture and the generational change must be both green and socially sustainable. A green and socially sustainable agriculture deserves more than a footnote," says Anders Led Behrend, vice-chairman of Free Farmers - Living Land and active in FLUF. Organic Now presents the full open letter below. Dear Christian Rabjerg Madsen, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare; we look forward to a good future collaboration. We are writing on behalf of FLUF - Free Farmers - Living Land - with a request for a meeting where we can discuss the challenges related to generational change and explore measures to address this. FLUF is the Youth Department of Free Farmers - Living Land and represents young current and future farmers in the movement for small-scale, nature-friendly agriculture, working for an environmentally and people-friendly farming with strong communities in rural areas. Free Farmers - Living Land is part of the international farmers' movement La Via Campesina, which represents farmers worldwide and is an officially recognized stakeholder for agriculture at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and in the European Parliament, which is why we participated in the Strategic Dialogues held last year at the European Commission. We view positively the directions outlined in the government’s program for the four-party government, with increased focus on nature, animal welfare, organic farming, adjustments to industrial agriculture, and especially the focus on local small-scale food producers we represent. However, we believe that the issue of generational change deserves more than a footnote. We young people are both the present and the future of agriculture, and therefore all initiatives should be linked with measures to solve this problem and transition Danish agriculture to a green, but also socially sustainable, model. The average age in Danish agriculture is 59 years, and the sector faces a huge challenge in attracting new young people and taking over existing farms, with one-third of all full-time farms expected to undergo a generational change by 2030. At the same time, structural development continues, with fewer but larger farms, and Denmark now has fewer than 5,800 full-time farms—almost half the number of farms in the last 20 years. The average price of agricultural land is now around 210,000 DKK per hectare, an average Danish farmer has about 27 million DKK in debt, and the sector as a whole has 270 billion DKK in debt. This is not an industry we young people can or want to be part of; we want to produce food for people and local communities with respect and care for nature and the climate, but without being forced into debt and bound by banks and mortgage institutions for the rest of our lives. Already, among our members and many other farmers doing exactly this, but we are a minority, and we need many more if we are to transform Danish agriculture. Therefore, we would like to meet and discuss how we can solve this problem now, but also for the future. It will take time and be difficult, but that is precisely why it is important to take the right steps and get started. We have developed a seven-point plan that both maps obstacles and describes measures that can all contribute to solving the generational change and attracting more young people into agriculture. Access to farmland: One of the main problems for young farmers is access to and the price of farmland. Therefore, the market and access to farmland should be regulated to ensure pre-emption rights for young farmers and agro-ecological farms. We should draw inspiration from the French SAFER model and allow regions or municipalities to set criteria for land transactions in their area, such as prioritizing sales to young farmers, increasing organic land, protecting drinking water, local cohesion, or climate considerations as part of the sale process. The SAFER model in France has successfully regulated land sales to enable young farmers to access land and keep the average land price lower. Addressing hectare subsidies: Many of the problems with high average land prices and ongoing structural development are due to hectare subsidies. This support has created a market for land purchase and speculation, where only a few can participate and which does not serve the public interest. Therefore, agricultural support should be based on other criteria than size, but until such a model is developed, we propose that hectare subsidies become progressive, decreasing as the number of hectares increases, and that they be phased out after 200 hectares. These measures should ensure that the business and production are economically sustainable and prevent incentives for land speculation—by large industrial farms, foreign investment funds, companies, or wealthy individuals. Redistribution of agricultural support: Denmark allocates 63% of its agricultural support to hectare subsidies, the highest in Europe, primarily benefiting large farms. Meanwhile, many funds in Pillar 2 are used to finance technology and innovation that favor large industrial farms and are irrelevant to smaller farms. This creates a skewed distribution where support is concentrated on industrial agriculture but not on smaller farms. Denmark and Malta are the only EU countries that have not implemented the mandatory CRISS mechanism, which ensures that at least 10% of hectare support is earmarked for small-scale farms. We propose that more of the support be earmarked for young and small-scale farmers; establishment grants should be smaller but given to more farmers; higher hectare support for the first 15 hectares; support for production categories such as ‘diverse food production’ and ‘agroforestry’. Additionally, support should go directly to farms, and a farm or business should have the status of ‘Active Farmer’ to qualify for support, which would be another mechanism to ensure support benefits the sector and those who need it, rather than land speculators. Investigation of value leakage and income: At the European level, we see that farmers earn just over 60% of an average income, while young farmers under 40 have the lowest average income of all professions. Here at home, many producers experience that the price they can get does not reflect the cost of production. In Spain, in 2008, an index called the Origin-Destination Price Index (Indice de precios origen-destino) was created to examine the difference between what producers are paid and what consumers pay. It showed a difference of over 500% and revealed that the vast majority of value is lost at various stages in the value chain and does not reach the producer or benefit the consumer. We should reproduce such an index here and, based on the European Agri-food Chain Observatory and the Unfair Trading Directive, explore ways to ensure that as much of the value created as possible remains with the producer or benefits the consumer—and that prices at least cover production costs. No young person wants to enter an industry they cannot make a living from. Support for rural areas: Small-scale and local farms run by young people will create life in the countryside and energize local communities, but this also requires investment in rural areas. If we want more people to settle there, we must ensure good public transport, local schools, cultural and leisure activities, doctors, etc. Local small-scale farms are not just food producers but can also actively participate in the community as cultural creators and have an educational role in collaboration with local schools. A more food-sovereign local community is a vibrant community. Better access to loans and housing strategy: Many young people like us who want to start in agriculture and farm small-scale find it impossible to get loans and buy land and housing. Banks do not understand or recognize our business plans, despite numerous examples of economically sustainable and successful small-scale farms in Denmark. Because we do not fit the “usual” image of agriculture, it is impossible to borrow money to start or develop our business. Additionally, rural settlement is seen as a risk factor, making it harder to get loans, even though most farms are located in rural areas. Establishment of a Youth Working Group: Solving the generational change issue will take a long time, and the various measures that are being developed are politically decided and prepared, but it is our reality. Therefore, it is necessary that young people are both heard and represented in consultations, development, and implementation of measures. A Youth Working Group composed of representatives of young farmers, with diverse representation, should be established to ensure that as many voices as possible are heard. The agricultural sector faces many challenges—some self-inflicted—but we cannot solve these or transform agriculture without focusing on us young people, who constitute the future of farming. We believe that a nature-oriented, food-sovereignty-focused, community-caring, climate-conscious, and people-centered agriculture is not only the solution to the generational shift but also the transformation of agriculture itself. Therefore, we hope that, based on these measures, you will work with us to address the challenges faced by young farmers and strive for a green and socially sustainable agriculture. On behalf of FLUF // Free Farmers - Living Land, Anders Led Behrend Sophia Straarup Zoe Oak Andreas Felipe Dominquez Simonsen Caroline Lundsteen
Generational change in agriculture has become so significant that it is not enough to mention it in a footnote.
That is the opinion of FLUF, which is the Youth Department of Free Farmers - Living Land, and has therefore sent an open letter and a meeting request to the Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare as well as relevant agricultural spokespersons to focus on the challenge of generational change in Danish agriculture.
"We hope that with this letter we can show that there is both a great need, but also enthusiasm and commitment from young farmers to meet and find solutions to the generational change. But if this solution is to last, then the transformation of agriculture and the generational change must be both green and socially sustainable. A green and socially sustainable agriculture deserves more than a footnote," says Anders Led Behrend, vice-chairman of Free Farmers - Living Land and active in FLUF.
Økologisk Nu presents below the full open letter.
Dear Christian Rabjerg Madsen,
Congratulations on your appointment as Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare, we look forward to a good future cooperation. We are writing on behalf of FLUF - Free Farmers - Living Land - with a request for a meeting where we can discuss the challenges related to generational change and look together at initiatives to solve this.
FLUF is the Youth Department of Free Farmers - Living Land and represents the current and future young farmers in the movement for small-scale, nature-friendly agriculture, working for an environmentally and people-friendly farming with strong communities in rural areas.
Free Farmers - Living Land is part of the international farmers' movement La Via Campesina, which represents farmers worldwide and is an officially recognized stakeholder for agriculture at, among others, the UN Food Agency FAO and in the European Parliament, which is why we participated in the Strategic Dialogues held last year in the European Commission.
We view positively the directions outlined in the government program of the four-party government with increased focus on nature, animal welfare, organic farming, adjustments to industrial agricultural production, and especially with a focus on local small-scale food producers we represent. However, we believe that the issue of generational change deserves more than a footnote. We young people are both the present and the future of agriculture, and therefore all initiatives should be linked with measures to solve this problem and transition Danish agriculture to a green, but also socially sustainable industry.
The average age in Danish agriculture is 59 years, and the sector faces a huge challenge in attracting new young people and taking over existing farms, of which ⅓ of all full-time farms must undergo a generational change before 2030.
At the same time, structural development continues, with fewer but larger farms, and now fewer than 5,800 full-time farms remain in Denmark – almost half the number of farms in the last 20 years. The average price of agricultural land is now around 210,000 DKK per hectare, an average Danish farmer has about 27 million DKK in debt, and the sector as a whole has 270 billion DKK in debt.
This is not a profession that we young people can or want to be part of; we want to produce food for people and local communities with respect and care for nature and the climate, but without being forced into debt and bound by banks and mortgage institutions for the rest of our lives. Already now, among our members and many other farmers who do exactly this, but we are a minority, and we need to be many more if we are to transform Danish agriculture.
Therefore, we would like to meet and discuss how we can solve this problem now, but also for the future. It will take time and be difficult, but precisely for that reason, it is important that we take the right steps and get started. We have developed a seven-point plan that both maps obstacles and describes measures that can all contribute to solving the generational change and attracting more young people into agriculture.
Access to agricultural land: One of the main problems for young farmers is access to and the price of land. Therefore, the market and access to land must be regulated to ensure pre-emption rights for young farmers and agro-ecological farms. Here, we should draw inspiration from the French SAFER model and allow regions or municipalities to set criteria for land transactions in their area, so that, for example, opportunities for sale to young people, increasing organic areas, drinking water protection, local cohesion, or climate considerations are explored as part of the sale. The SAFER model in France has succeeded in regulating land sales so that young people can gain access and keep the average land price lower.
Reform of hectare support: Many of the problems with the high average price of land and ongoing structural development are due to hectare support. This support has created a market for land purchase and speculation, where only a few can participate and without regard for the common good. Therefore, agricultural support should be based on other criteria than size, but until such a model is developed, we propose that hectare support becomes degressive, so that support decreases with the number of hectares, and that it is phased out after 200 hectares. These measures should ensure that the business and production are economically sustainable, and that there is no incentive to speculate in land—neither for large industrial farms, foreign investment funds, companies, nor wealthy individuals.
Redistribution of agricultural support: Denmark allocates 63% of its agricultural support to hectare support, which is the highest in Europe and primarily benefits large farms. At the same time, many funds in pillar 2 are used to finance and support technology and innovation that also favor large industrial farms and are not relevant for smaller farms. This creates a skewed distribution, where support is centered and concentrated on industrial agriculture, but not allocated to smaller farms. Denmark and Malta are also the only countries in the EU that have not implemented the mandatory CRISS mechanism, which ensures that at least 10% of hectare support is earmarked for small-scale farms. Therefore, we propose that more of the agricultural support be earmarked for young and small-scale farmers; establishment support should be smaller but given to more farmers; higher hectare support for the first 15 hectares; support for production categories such as ‘diverse food production’ and ‘agroforestry’. Additionally, support should go directly to farms, and a farm or business should have the status of ‘Active Farmer’ to qualify for support, which would be another mechanism to ensure that support benefits the sector and those who need it, rather than land speculators.
Investigation of value leakage and income: At the European level, we have seen that farmers earn just over 60% of an average income, while young farmers under 40 have the lowest average income of all professions. Here at home, many producers experience that the price they can get does not reflect the cost of production. In Spain, in 2008, an index called the Origin-Destination Price Index was created, which examined the difference between what producers were paid and what consumers paid. It showed a difference of over 500% and indicated that the vast majority of value was lost at various stages of the value chain and did not go to the producer or as savings to the consumer. Such an index should be reproduced here and, based on the European Agri-food Chain Observatory and the Unfair Trading Directive, explore ways to ensure that as much of the created value as possible remains with the producer or goes to the consumer—and to examine the possibility that prices at least cover production costs. No young person wants to enter a profession they cannot make a living from.
Support for rural areas: Small-scale and local farms run by young people will create life in the countryside and energize local communities, but this also requires investment in rural areas. If we want more people to settle, we must ensure good public transport, local schools, cultural and leisure activities, doctors, etc. Local small-scale farms are not just food producers but can also actively participate in the community as cultural creators and have an educational and formative role in collaboration with local schools, for example. A more food-sovereign community is a vibrant community.
Better access to loans and housing strategy: Many of us young people who want to start in agriculture and produce on a small scale find it impossible to get a loan and buy housing and land. Banks do not understand or recognize our business and business plan, despite numerous examples of economically sustainable and successful small-scale farms in Denmark, but because we do not fit into the “usual” perception of agriculture, it is impossible to borrow money to start or develop our business. At the same time, they see settlement in rural areas as a risk factor, making it difficult to borrow money, even though most farms are located in rural areas.
Establishment of a Youth Working Group: Solving the generational change issue will take a long time, and the various measures that are being developed are politically decided and prepared, but it is our reality. Therefore, it is necessary that we young people are both heard and represented in consultations, development, and implementation of these measures. A Youth Working Group should be established, consisting of representatives of young people in agriculture, ensuring diverse representation so that as many voices as possible are heard.
The agriculture sector faces many challenges—some self-inflicted—but we cannot solve these or transform agriculture without focusing on us young people, who constitute the future of farming. We believe that a nature-oriented agriculture focused on food sovereignty, redistribution, care for local communities, the climate, and the people in it is not only the solution to the generational change but also the transformation of agriculture. Therefore, we hope that, based on these initiatives, you will work with us to address the challenges faced by young farmers and strive for a green and socially sustainable agriculture.
On behalf of FLUF // Free Farmers - Living Land,
Anders Led Behrend
Sophia Straarup
Zoe Oak
Andreas Felipe Dominquez Simonsen
Caroline Lundsteen