On October 20th next I will take part in a workshop organised by DG AGRI at the Milan EXPO on the subject “Structural realities in EU agriculture: Does farm size matter?” The aim of the workshop is to discuss the challenges and opportunities brought about by the structural change of the EU agricultural sector for a) the up- and downstream industries, b) EU rural areas and c) the sustainability of agricultural production in Europe.
The debate on farm size
There is a long history in Europe of interest in the structure of agricultural holdings. Many European countries have had land legislation in place with the objective of maximising the number of farm holdings or limiting the maximum farm size. In recent decades, many of these restrictions have been removed, although rules limiting foreign investment in land still exist in a number of countries, particularly in the new member states. Nonetheless, the issue of farm size remains a controversial and emotional issue, as seen in the opposition to so-called ‘mega-dairies’ in a number of member states, and the introduction of the ‘redistributive payment’ option in Pillar 1 of the CAP permitting member states to make higher payments per hectare to smaller farms.… Read the rest
Does farm size matter?
