While the average age of a farmer stands at 36, the Youth Farmers union decided to repel the age of its elected officials from 35 to 38 years.
Le Monde
How old is a farmer considered as a young? Faced with an aging profession and a decline in trade union engagement, the Young Farmers Union has decided to repel the age of its elected officials from 35 to 38 years. After a year of reflection, the union adopted this measure, Thursday, December 2, at its winter universities in Angers.
A revealing decision of the mutations of the profession, while the average age of installation of a farmer stands at 36, according to The 2019 data of the social security of agricultural professions, the MSA . “This reflection on the evolution of our eligibility conditions integrates into a global trade union revival project,” says a communiqué of young farmers, evoking a will “better adapt our network and its structure to its socio-demographic environment”. And in order to promote the renewal of the teams, the elected officials have also voted the limitation to two mandates following the same step.
[# CP] JA backs the eligibility age of its directors at 38
Discover our CP here 👇
https://t.co/quyg5rwclt https://t.co/g47inklsbl //p>- Youngagri (@Jeunes farmers)
The Secretary General of the Union, Arnaud Gaillot, evokes a “general evolution of society” which also concerns its sector. “Our life is shifting, we have younger children, and the age of our retirement went from 60 to 67 years old,” he comments on France Inter.
1% of farmers have less than 25 years
What is the profile of these young farmers? “They are more ripe, trained and already have a professional career, sometimes even in other sectors,” details the union’s communiqué. François-Etienne Mercier, cereal in Mehoncourt (Meurte-et-Moselle), near Nancy, attest. While his grandfather began his career at age 14, and his father at the age of 18, started his job at the age of 23, after a general bachelor’s degree, a BTS general technology and a professional license management of Agricultural enterprise.
“We, the children of farmers, we like to gain experience elsewhere, to have another vision than the family farm”, he comments, describing a profession “who has totally evolved” and “The need to have a luggage level before installing”.
According to the last Study of the National Institute Statistics and economic studies (INSEE), farmers-operators represented only 1.5% of the country’s total employment, a proportion divided by more than four in forty years. The proportion of men – which is 52% in all employed persons in 2019 – amounts to 73%, compared with 61% in 1982, according to the latter note Focus of INSEE, covering the year 2019.
Age pyramid side, 55% of French farmers are 50 years old or older, or 24 points more than for all employment (31%), and 13% are 60 or older, compared to 3% people involved. On the other hand, only 1% of farmers are under 25, compared to 8% for all people involved.