Rural Youth Europe represented at EU Youth Policy Dialogue in Dublin

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Rural Youth Europe’s Vice Chairperson for External Affairs, Jana Apaļā, represented our network in Ireland last week, taking part in the third Youth Policy Dialogue with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen.

The two-day visit on 16–17 September brought together young farmers and representatives from youth, agriculture and rural organisations to discuss the future of European livestock farming and generational renewal.

Visiting the National Ploughing Championships

The programme began with a visit to the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co. Offaly – one of Europe’s largest agricultural events, which welcomed 243,000 visitors across three days in 2026.

The visit gave participants an opportunity to meet and speak with people from across farming, agricultural organisations and policy, helping to provide further context to the challenges facing the sector.

Rural Youth Europe member organisation Macra na Feirme was also represented at the Championships with its own stand, showcasing its work with young people and rural communities across Ireland.

Bringing rural youth voices into EU policy

On 17 September, participants came together in Dublin for the third Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Hansen, focused on the EU Livestock Strategy and generational renewal in agriculture.

During preparatory sessions with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), participants discussed the challenges and opportunities facing young livestock farmers across different sectors and developed recommendations to bring into the afternoon dialogue.

Jana then joined the discussion with Commissioner Christophe Hansen and Member of the European Parliament Maria Walsh, sharing perspectives alongside young people and agricultural representatives from across Europe.

The dialogue explored how European and national policy can support the next generation of livestock farmers, including the challenges facing young people entering and remaining in the sector.

For Rural Youth Europe, taking part in discussions like these provides an important opportunity to bring perspectives from across our network into European-level conversations.

“Events like this are especially important for Rural Youth Europe because we have the opportunity to represent rural areas and young people from across Europe, bringing together different experiences and challenges into the conversation,” said Jana.

Reflecting on the discussions, Jana added: “It is important that we maintain a long-term focus on both generational renewal and the future of livestock farming. These issues are important not only for farmers, but for wider society too – affecting the food we consume, the attractiveness of our rural areas and the future of rural communities.”

Rural Youth Europe will continue working to ensure the experiences and perspectives of rural young people are represented in conversations shaping the future of agriculture and rural Europe.

Photo credit: ©European Union, 2026.