Anger of farmers: 40% cheaper than in stations, the price of non-road diesel at the heart of the demands

Baptiste Morin / Photo credits: Patrick Batard / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 7:37 a.m., January 25, 2024

This is one of the reasons for farmers' anger: the price of non-road diesel (NGR).

Used to power tractors, this fuel benefits from a tax advantage, which the government nevertheless wishes to reduce.

A situation which recalls the reasons for another movement, that of the Yellow Vests, in 2018. To respond to farmers, Gabriel Attal speaks this Thursday with the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, and from the Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, before speaking on Friday. 

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To make their voices heard, agricultural unions sent around a hundred demands.

Among them: maintaining the tax loophole on non-road diesel.

Currently, red, as some farmers call it because of its color, is around 40% cheaper than a liter of conventional diesel.

A tax loophole of nearly 1.5 billion euros that the executive plans to largely iron out by 2030.

Bercy may assure that the savings will be fully returned to the sector, but the measure angers farmers, mainly for two reasons.

First, if the objective is to promote the use of less polluting energies, we should still be able to count on it.

However, electric or gas alternatives are still in their infancy in the sector.

A discount not always requested

Second reason: part of this tax advantage on GNR is not automatic.

Farmers must in fact request in writing the a posteriori reimbursement of the internal consumption tax on energy products (TICPE).

Farmers can therefore request reimbursement of around 15 cents per liter consumed. 

But many give up due to lack of time.

The simplification they are calling for would, for example, include the discount upon purchase.