The Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers (COAG) has urged political formations to reach a State pact that guarantees generational replacement and the protection of agricultural land ahead of the general elections of 29 November, after warning of the aggressive advance of vulture funds and venture capital which, according to its complaint, are blocking the entry of new generations into the countryside.
Among the measures it will convey to the parties, COAG proposes reserving as a minimum 10% of the budget of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for young people, putting in place tax incentives for entry and regulating the hoarding of land and water concessions.
The farming organization warns that around 43,000 professional farmers and ranchers will retire between November 2026 and October 2030, which represents 17% of active agricultural self-employed workers, according to its technical note prepared based on data from the General Treasury of Social Security.
In light of this scenario, COAG considers it essential that between 8,000 and 10,000 young people are brought in per year during the next term of office to prevent the loss of productive fabric and safeguard food sovereignty.
Within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the organization proposes an operational installation package for young people with an age limit of 40 years, as well as specific support for new professionals who exceed that age.
On the tax front, COAG calls for a specific regime for the first five years of activity, exemption in the IRPF of aid for entry, free depreciation for young people and professionals, and a reduction in the taxation of the aid received by young people.
In addition, it proposes eliminating the taxation of income obtained from the sale or rental of land to young people and professionals and introducing tax incentives for those who carry out these transfers.
As for financial support, the document includes the creation of preferential credit lines, public guarantees, guarantee funds, and greater speed and provision of ICO-Saeca loans.
Regarding access to land, the organization proposes “limiting public aid” to investment funds and capital with no territorial link, developing tools against speculative land grabbing that make it possible to mobilize land for active professionals, and approving a statute for professional farming and livestock raising that grants them priority in public policies.
COAG warns of land concentration and the entry of vulture funds
COAG warns that the entry of investment funds is complicating young people’s access to land and water. According to the data collected in its report, more than 900 funds control land in the Iberian Peninsula valued at more than 100,000 million euros, while 6.6% of large agricultural companies concentrates 42% of the value of production. The purchase and sale of rural properties has grown by 20% compared with 2019, the organization has said.
“In this context, who benefits from the rise in agricultural rents—our towns or the shareholders of Wisconsin or the City of London,” COAG’s secretary general, Andrés Góngora, has questioned, while highlighting that “agriculture and livestock raising have a great future in Spain.”
Góngora has emphasized that what is “at risk is the social and professional model of small and medium-sized farmers and livestock raisers.” “A young person who wants to join the profession cannot compete with these large capitals when it comes to accessing land and water in order to scale up their operation. In farming districts, subject to more pressure from funds, rentals have tripled their price and land prices have doubled,” he said.
To encourage the incorporation of new generations into rural life, COAG also calls for an “agile and single” processing process, as well as guaranteeing housing, connectivity, and public services in rural areas, which it considers essential conditions for young people to be able to develop their life project there.
The electoral proposal also includes specific measures for female farmers and livestock raisers, such as aid to cover contribution payments in operations with shared ownership, a contribution adjusted to real income, and procedures that are uniform between autonomous communities. The organization also asks to extend to women over 40 years old the bonuses for spouses in operations, cover gaps in contribution periods, and recognize periods devoted to the care of children and family members.
Finally, COAG proposes a binding definition of professional farmer that conditions access to aid and an improvement in social protection for self-employed farmers. Among the measures proposed are an exemption from contributions from the first day of temporary incapacity, a cessation of activity similar to unemployment benefits, and contributions based on real income under objective estimation. The document also includes a limit of 60,000 euros in aid per active person and the exclusion of degressivity, measures that the organization associates with support for family and professional farms.