Generational Renewal in European Farming.
Date: November 19, 2025
Background:
Generational renewal in European farming is a complex challenge influenced by demographics, land ownership, inheritance and pension systems, and cultural attitudes. It requires policy, economic, and social solutions to ensure viable farm transfers, attract young farmers, and sustain rural communities. Supporting farm succession has been a CAP priority since the 1980s, yet progress remains uneven.
This seminar is particularly timely: the European Commission is preparing to publish its new Generational Renewal Strategy, while Ireland has just released a national report on Generational Renewal in Farming. The upcoming CAP proposals for 2027 and beyond will include a dedicated package of measures to address the issue.
About the Seminar:
Co-hosted by EURAGRI CLG members, the virtual seminar brings together leading voices from farming, policy, and research to review current knowledge and experiences of generational renewal. With a focus on lessons learned and emerging strategies, it will highlight what is needed next to enhance the generational renewal process.
By sharing diverse perspectives, the seminar will help identify the next steps to strengthen generational renewal processes and support the just transition in agri-food systems, delivering economic, environmental, and social benefits for rural development over the next 25 years.
Programme:
Session 1: Generational Renewal – Needs & Policies
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 09:30 – 09:40 | Welcome: Uno Svedin, EURAGRI CLG, President,
Chair: David Meridith, Teagasc. |
| 09:40 – 09:55 | The Need for Better Generational Renewal in European Farming. Marion Picot, CEJA. |
| 09:50 – 10:15 | European Commission’s Strategy. Gijs Schilthuis, Director of Directorate B, DG AGRI. |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Key Findings from the Irish Generational Renewal Commission Report. Emma Dillon, Teagasc. |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Discussion |
Short break (15 minutes)
Session 2 Country Activities, Opportunities, and Challenges.
Chair: Michael Hayden, Maynooth University,
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Rethinking Generational Renewal in a Changing World: Identifying Research Gaps. Sophie Thoyer, INRAE. |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Challenges and Opportunities of Generational Renewal in Rural Areas of Lithuania. Vilma Atkočiūnienė, Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy. (Lithuania) |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Determinants of Farm Succession: Farm-related and Personal Factors” Christine Rother, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Science. |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Finish Farmer Perceptions on the Future of Family Farming. Leena Rantamäki-Lahtinen, University of Helsinki. |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | New Business Ideas and Strategies for farm successors in Austria. Leopold Kirner, University of Agrarian and Environmental Education. (Austria) |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Discussion |
Short break (5 minutes)
Session 3 Reflections and Close
Chair: TBC
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 12:35 – 12:50 | Seminar Reflection. Thomas Duffy, Irish Dairy Farmer. |
| 12:50 – 13:15 | Open Discussion |
| 13.15 -13:20 | Closing Remarks. Uno Svedin. |
Presenters:
Marion Picot
Marion Picot is Secretary General of CEJA, the European Council of Young Farmers, representing 34 young farmers’ organisations across Europe. With a background in public policy, she has worked in local and national government on agriculture, rural development, and food systems, and lectured in European Public Affairs at Sciences Po Lille. She joined CEJA in 2018 as Senior Policy Advisor before taking on her current role.
Gijs Schilthuis
Gijs Schilthuis is Director for Sustainability at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. Since joining the Commission in 2005, he has worked extensively on agricultural policy reform, including as Head of Unit for Policy Perspectives (2019–2024). A Dutch national, he holds a master’s in agricultural economics from Wageningen University.
Emma Dillon
Emma Dillon is a Teagasc Economist and Senior Research Officer with the National Farm Survey, focusing on survey design, data analysis, and farm-level policy modelling. Her research explores farm sustainability and structural change, and she has helped develop social sustainability metrics for the Survey. She also served on the Irish Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming.
Sophie Thoyer
Sophie Thoyer is a senior researcher at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE). She is Deputy Scientific Director for Agriculture. She has led and contributed to numerous national and international research projects focusing on the design of CAP measures, particularly those related to environmental protection and support for small farms.
Vilma Atkočiūnienė
Vilma Atkočiūnienė is a Professor of Social (Economics) Sciences at Vytautas Magnus University’s Agriculture Academy. Her research focuses on rural development management, sustainable rural infrastructure, local food systems, social partnership, and generational renewal. She is also an expert in the LEADER approach and social business development.
Christine Rother
Christine Rother is a PhD candidate and research assistant in Agricultural Economics at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Her research focuses on rural development and structural change in the sustainability transformation of agriculture, as well as its impacts on the agricultural value chain.
Leena Rantamäki-Lahtinen
Leena Rantamäki-Lahtinen is a Senior University Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Helsinki. Her research and teaching focus on strategic and operational management and multi-objective decision-making across diverse farm types. She has examined farm-level competencies, resources, and management practices, with recent work exploring family farm businesses and solo entrepreneurship in the farming context.
Leopold Kirner
Leopold Kirner is the head of the Institute for Business Management, Research and Innovation at the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education. He researches and teaches socio-economic aspects of agriculture and coordinates research at the university.
Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a dairy farmer who farms in partnership with his parents. He is a former vice-president of the European Council of Young Farmers. He previously served as president of Macra Na Feirme, the Young Irish Farmers Association. He has studied sustainable agriculture and environmental management and is recognised for his expertise in this area. He also served on the Irish Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming.