A LACK of financial backing is seen as a major barrier to young people wanting to get into farming in the next five years.

And while the majority of respondents to an online consultation by the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) wanted subsidies to remain, 46 per cent said they should only continue for a limited period of time.

The survey – Considerations for a Future British Agricultural Policy – gathered views from young people involved in farming following this summer’s vote to leave the European Union.

NFYFC office holders will discuss the survey results with Defra so that young people’s views are considered as part of a future British Agriculture policy.

Sam Dilcock, NFYFC’s Rural Issues chairman, said: “Getting started in farming has many challenges.

“We’ve now got the Land Partnerships Service, to help bring together farmers and land with new entrants and business ideas, which is great. But we need to look at short and long-term finance too – which are especially big barriers to new entrants.”

Many respondents felt existing landowners and farmers, who have control of the land and an income from subsidy, are a barrier to new entrants wanting to establish themselves in business.

While the majority wanted subsidies to continue, 46 per cent only wanted them to continue for a limited time.

Many young farmers do not expect to be given subsidies, but they recognise the unfairness of a system which is loaded against them – existing farmers are provided with support, but those at the foot of the ladder are not.

The most popular choice for young farmers (35 per cent) was to reduce or remove area-based basic subsidy payments and instead support farmers through grants/loans for farm business investments.

Lynsey Martin, NFYFC’s vice-chairman, said: “If the subsidy system is supposed to help farming become more dynamic, to contribute public goods and benefits, then it might do this better if it were not tied to land ownership but, instead, addressed the business needs of established farmers and new entrants alike.”

As future employers, the young farmers were concerned about finding the right sort of employees in the future.

When asked about the skills most important for developing a farm business 38 per cent chose business administration skills, 30 per cent chose technical skills, and 24 per cent chose operational business skills.

Ed Ford, NFYFC’s vice-chairman, said: “Modern farming equipment requires people with the practical skills as well as the education and understanding of machinery.”