Succession and retirement: smoothing the path between generations

Across Europe, a growing share of farmland is managed by farmers over 55, while fewer than one in ten are under 40. Many older farmers wish to retire but face uncertainty about how to, or to whom, pass on their farm. For younger generations, meanwhile, unclear succession rules and limited opportunities delay their entry into the sector.

The EU Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture places farm transfer and succession at the heart of its vision. By creating clearer pathways, fairer conditions and greater security for both generations, it aims to make renewal the norm rather than the exception.

Succession and retirement are only one of the barriers tackled by the new Strategy - alongside land, finance, knowledge and rural services - but they are the hinge that connects past, present and future.

Why smoother transitions matter

When succession is delayed, farms risk fragmentation, loss of competitiveness and the fading of accumulated experience. Late or uncertain transfers can also discourage young people from investing in agriculture or taking over the family business.

Early planning and structured support help prevent these losses. They allow older farmers to step back with security, while newcomers gain time to learn, innovate and invest. Succession is therefore not only a family issue - it is a question of continuity for Europe's food systems and rural heritage.

New solutions taking shape across Europe

The EU CAP Network's Assessment of Generational Renewal Strategies across Member States(2025) has mapped national and regional approaches that are already facilitating smoother and earlier transitions between generations. Successful approaches include:

• Farm transfer and succession schemes that encourage early planning, simplify administrative procedures and ensure both generations benefit from secure arrangements.
• Advisory and mediation services that help families navigate the legal, fiscal and emotional aspects of transferring ownership, fostering trust and clarity.
• Incentives for early retirement and partial handovers, allowing senior farmers to remain involved as mentors while making space for successors.
• Awareness and matchmaking initiatives that connect retiring farmers with new entrants, keeping farmland productive and ensuring the transmission of know-how.

These examples show that succession can be transformed from a moment of uncertainty into a structured opportunity for growth and renewal.

A European strategy for lasting change

The EU Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture builds on analytical work and evidence gathered by the EU CAP Network across Member States to modernise and harmonise succession processes throughout Europe. The Strategy promotes a combination of legal, fiscal and advisory measures designed to support timely, transparent and fair farm transfers:

• Encouraging earlier succession through national reforms, supported by guidance and monitoring within the European Semester.
• Introducing incentives for partial or full early retirement, providing security for outgoing farmers and smoother entry for newcomers.
• Developing advisory and mediation services to help families plan succession, manage conflicts and ensure viable transitions.
• Simplifying inheritance and taxation rules to remove barriers and promote intergenerational fairness.
• Promoting awareness and matchmaking platforms that connect retiring farmers with successors, including those outside the family circle.
• Integrating succession measures into the broader CAP framework post-2027, ensuring coherence with land, finance and training policies.

By combining these actions, the EU aims to make succession a natural and supported process, securing continuity in food production, preserving rural know-how and giving every generation the confidence to build the next chapter of European farming.

For more information

Press release : Commission proposes measures to support generational renewal in agriculture to secure Europe's food, farming and rural future

Communication: Strategy for generational renewal in agriculture (PDF)

CAP Network study on the best practices in Member States

Analytical brief presenting the 'picture of a young farmer in the EU today' (PDF)