Friday 28 September 2012
European Union
CEJA celebrates 50th Anniversary of the CAP at “Bruxelles Champetre” on No-Car Sunday
Sunday the 16th of September saw the 2012 edition of the annual No-Car Day in Brussels. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the CAP, the Commission’s DG AGRI organised “Bruxelles Champetre” in the heart of the city – the Royal Park. Featuring a number of animations and booths by agricultural stakeholders such as CEJA, as well as a city farm organised by CEJA member organisation FJA, the event saw thousands of visitors from all over the country take part in the celebration.
The young farmer booth at the event was manned by CEJA staff and representatives including two Irish farmers from Macra na Feirme, who hosted exchanges with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloş, and members of the general public alike on the subject of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The event also featured a presentation from the Irish CEJA representatives Bryan Daniels and John Joyce, on the subject of water conservation in agriculture and young farmers’ measures in the CAP reform.
During his part of the presentation, John Joyce highlighted the issues young people are faced with when attempting to enter the sector in Ireland, focusing on the importance of “better access to land and capital, which are the most substantial barriers to entry to farming, not just in Ireland but across Europe”.
Speaking after the event, Bryan Daniels praised the thinking behind the celebration, stating that “events like this are crucial for public support of farmers – as the CAP is such an important policy, the general public should be a part of the debate, and understand the most crucial issues. Time and time again, people are shocked by the dwindling numbers of European young farmers, and surprised by how little they were aware of the fact.”
Source: newsroom - farmingnewsdaily.co.uk
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