Many people start their working day bright and early, and farmers are no exception.
What time does farmer and president of Luxembourg’s Chamber of Agriculture Christian Hahn start his day? Are there still enough young people willing to take over family farms? And how does Hahn perceive the recent developments in the EU budget and milk prices? RTL’s Céline Eischen went to find out.
Falling milk prices, a reduced EU agricultural budget, and a lack of young people willing to take over farms - these are just some of the issues currently weighing on Luxembourg’s farmers. On top of that, they are facing what many see as excessive administrative burden.
One key concern remains the restrictions around construction in green zones. Hahn says farmers are still waiting on long-promised amendments to the nature protection law from the Environment Ministry: “We keep being given vague promises that the texts are ready and will be published soon”, said Hahn. “I hope they’re released by January or February at the latest, so everyone finally knows what stage things are at, what has changed, how much is cut, and whether the changes will make things easier – or not.”
According to Hahn, change is necessary as some rules are unclear or difficult to justify, and yet impose significant extra costs on farmers. Hahn referred to a specific example from his own farm to illustrate his concerns. Wooden cladding had been added to the exterior wall of one of his agricultural buildings – a requirement he said offers no real ecological benefit. “We’ve asked countless times what the environmental value of this measure is, but there’s no answer”, he said. “It seems to be purely symbolic, just to signal that the building is used for farming.”
Imposing such additional costs on farms without a clear environmental justification, he added, is unrealistic.
Reducing bureaucratic hurdles, Hahn argues, would also help make farming more attractive for younger generations. But better financial prospects are equally important. The EU’s new multiannual budget for 2028–2034 includes €80 billion less in direct funding for agriculture, but this could have a negative impact on the social role EU subsidies also play, Hahn explained. He added that EU subsidies are necessary because farmers are unable to recover the full value of their work through product prices alone. “At the moment, we’re getting between €15 and €17 for 100kg of wheat”, he said. “Those are prices from the time of my father and grandfather.”
He argued that the core purpose of EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is to keep food prices low for consumers, and that subsidies are what make this possible.
Farmers across Europe are also being asked to take on more environmental responsibilities, Hahn added, but this needs to be matched with adequate financial support.
But despite these challenges, for Hahn, farming is still the most beautiful job in the world: “Working with nature and animals continues to bring me the greatest pleasure.”
