CEJA Young Farmers

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CEJA Young Farmers

CEJA (European Council of Young Farmers) is the voice of Europe’s next generation of farmers to the European institutions.

CEJA is the European Council of Young Farmers. Its main objective is to promote a younger and more innovative agricultural sector across the EU 28 and to create good working and living conditions for young people setting up in farming and who are already farmers. It acts as a forum for communication and dialogue between young farmers and European decision makers and represents 2 million young farm

ers in Europe. CEJA is currently working on a number of European projects including Farm Success [http://www.farmsuccess.eu/index.php?id=2] and CEF [http://www.creatingentrepreneursinfood.eu/].

08/06/2026

📢 New publication | Young farmers' vision for the future of livestock

Today, CEJA publishes its position paper on the future of livestock in Europe.

Livestock farming plays a vital role in Europe's food systems and rural territories. Beyond producing food, it contributes to biodiversity, nutrient circularity, grassland management and economic activity across rural communities.

Young livestock farmers across Europe are committed to making the sector more sustainable, innovative and resilient. But commitment alone is not enough. The next generation also needs fair conditions, investment opportunities and long-term policy certainty.

With the EU Livestock Strategy expected in just one month, now is the time to put forward a positive vision for the sector's future.

💬 As highlighted by CEJA's Vice President and young pig producer Katharina Schobersberger: "Young farmers are ready to invest in the future of livestock. The question is whether Europe is ready to provide a clear and long-term vision for the sector."

📄 Position paper: https://tinyurl.com/livestock-vision-position
🗞️ Press release: https://tinyurl.com/livestock-vision-release

29/05/2026

𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐮𝐩 🗞️
✅This week, CEJA’s members gathered in Brussels for our Annual Praesidium and Working Group sessions. The agenda was packed with the most pressing topics, including generational renewal, climate action, data in agriculture, energy and input costs, the Water and Nature Directives, and EU-US trade.

We were honoured to welcome guest speakers Massimiliano Giansanti, President of COPA, and experts from DG AGRI: Sophie Helaine, Andrea Furlan, and Koen Mondelaers on agriculture data. Thank you all for the valuable insights!

We also took a special moment to say farewell to our Vice President Elisabeth Hidén, after seven years of incredible work for CEJA and young farmers across Europe. Thank you, Elisabeth. ❤️

Now, we look ahead to CEJA’s Annual General Assembly in June. Stay tuned!🫵🏼‼️

Swipe to see some moments from our two days in Brussels.☀️

10/05/2026

Yesterday was Europe Day. An opportunity to remind ourselves of what brings us together every single day, as a community, within CEJA.

Because Europe is also young farmers, here is On Europe, From the Field. 🌾

generationalrenewal

04/05/2026

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞
⏩️The European Parliament’s AGRI committee launched its INI report on generational renewal today, with the Joint Research Centre presenting a comparative study on young farmers in Finland, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland.
⏩️Rapporteur Maria Walsh (EPP) will finalise the report to feed into the post-2027 CAP discussion. CEJA is working closely with Walsh to ensure it reflects young farmers’ priorities.
📣CEJA’s ask: The Commission wants to double young farmers by 2040. That goal needs a legally binding budget commitment. The question is whether Europe is willing to back the ambition with funding.❓

30/04/2026

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 🗳️

✅An important moment for EU livestock farming today.
The European Parliament has adopted the INI report ”𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘜 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴” — with 426 votes in favour, 119 against, and 40 abstentions.

✅The text adopted earlier in COMAGRI was preserved, with one additional amendment introduced calling for the incentivisation of extensive and grass-based livestock farming, particularly under the CAP.

✅CEJA welcomes this outcome. The report recognises the essential role of livestock farming within the EU agricultural sector and the broader economy.

29/04/2026

Today at the 5th Livestock Workstream meeting in Brussels, CEJA brought the voice of young farmers to the table on feed, circularity and the future of livestock in rural Europe. Our Vice-President Katharina Schobersberger took the floor in the morning session.

Our key messages:
🌿 By-products like manure, wool, slaughter waste and leather are strategic resources, not waste. They need market infrastructure and regulatory support to reach their potential.

🔄 Circularity is not a new concept for farmers — we already do it. The problem is scaling it, and that requires investment support, market signals and regulation that enables rather than obstructs.

🌍 Feed dependency is a daily reality for farmers across Europe and must be treated with the same urgency as energy autonomy.

This work matters now. The Livestock Workstream feeds directly into the EU Livestock Strategy, expected in early July 2026.

10/04/2026

𝐄𝐔 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤

CEJA contributed to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the upcoming EU Livestock Strategy.

📢Young farmers are calling for a renewed recognition of livestock farming across Europe.

Young farmers are ready to deliver on sustainability, animal welfare and quality, but expectations must be matched with fair returns and shared responsibility across the value chain.

25/03/2026

Yesterday, CEJA participated in the Implementation Dialogue on Agricultural Farm Statistics at the European Commission, hosted by Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis (Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification).
CEJA was represented by President Peter Meedendorp.

CEJA’s key messages:
➡️ Simplify and streamline reporting across government and the value chain
➡️ Ensure stronger farmer control and trust in data use
Farmers face a growing reporting burden, with the same data requested multiple times in different formats. This must change.
We need a system where data is collected once, used many times, and truly benefits farmers by supporting better decisions, investments, and farm performance.
Farm statistics must work for farmers, with ownership, trust, and value at the core.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important dialogue.

20/01/2026

MOBILISATION IN STRASBOURG 📢

CEJA stands in solidarity of today’s action in Strasbourg, led by .agriculteurs.nat and attended by a diversity of young farmers from all over Europe.

💬 Vice President .paglia, present in Strasbourg, has reiterated it: “We are here today to stand with farmers, and especially with young farmers, who are worried about the EU-Mercosur Agreement and its effect on their activity. This agreement has raised serious concerns for years, about fair competition, standards and how decisions are taken. We are here to give visibility to these concerns, with a simple message: no agreement without fairness.”

Swipe left to find out more about CEJA’s claims ahead of tomorrow’s vote in plenary, and in the longer term. ⬅️

05/01/2026

Best wishes for 2026 on behalf of CEJA! ✉️

Buckle up as we turn 2026 into action for young farmers all over the continent. After a year 2025 marked by a strong emphasis on generational renewal in agriculture, time has come to deliver on commitments for young farmers.

Future Common Agricultural Policy, review of the UTP directive, EU livestock strategy… The year is shaping up to be a busy one.

Thank you for engaging with us all year long, and for your continuous support to the European community of young farmers. Stay tuned for our next activities. 🔔

Adres

Rue De La Loi 67
Brussels
1040

Telefoon

3222304210

Website

http://www.ceja.eu/

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