The executive announced, Saturday April 27, new measures in addition to the 62 commitments already presented by Gabriel Attal, to put an end to the agricultural crisis.
New measures after the mobilizations organized by farmers throughout France this winter. After the 62 commitments already presented by Emmanuel Macron, the government announced, Saturday April 27, “complementary” measures in favor of professionals in the sector to put an end to the crisis which continues to smolder.
First element which arises from previous announcements: the confirmation of the implementation of the agricultural pension reform, the calculation method of which was debated, “from 2026” on the 25 best years of career. For farmers’ cash flow, the public investment bank BPI France will provide new financing of at least 100 million euros in the form of personal cash loans (up to 75,000 euros) or guarantees for farmers’ loans. private banks, for example. The government also plans to increase the rate of property tax relief on undeveloped properties in the event of a climate or health disaster.
The Ecophyto 2030 plan soon to be presented
Another flagship measure, the final version of the Ecophyto pesticide reduction plan, put on hold due to the agricultural crisis, will be presented at the beginning of May. After consultations between the government and farmers on “a new strategy”, the Ecophyto 2030 plan will take up the government’s commitments to be based on a European indicator, and not French as used until now. A measure denounced by environmental NGOs who criticize the European indicator for less clearly differentiating the harmfulness of pesticides.
The government has also committed to accelerating 100 agricultural water storage or irrigation projects so that they are “finalized by the end of 2024”. Types of projects highly contested by environmental associations. A “support” plan will also be launched for farmers in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude and Hérault, particularly affected by drought, frost or floods, which will be allocated 50 million euros to projects to adapt to climate change and develop local sectors.
End of the crisis?
After the new government announcements, the two largest unions (FNSEA and Young Farmers (JA)) say they are waiting for their “rapid and complete realization”, while announcing the entry into a “new phase”. “With this progress, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers in Responsibility now consider that the work phase following the mobilizations started last November is ending,” wrote the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions and the JA in a press release.