Farmers' pensions, water storage... Why is anger still brewing in the countryside?

Margaux Fodéré // Credits: GREGORY DZIEDZIC / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 7:10 a.m., March 19, 2024

The discontent continues among farmers.

The Minister for Agriculture, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, announced last February a simplification for the construction of water reservoirs.

Currently, the operators concerned are not seeing any progress.

Two trade union organizations, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers, were to be received this Monday morning at the Élysée to take stock of the numerous announcements made by Gabriel Attal a month ago.

Finally, it is at Matignon that they have an appointment.

Among the promises made by the executive, some have nevertheless been kept.

This is the case of the exemption of the 4% of “fallow” land, or even the GNR.

But other issues still remain unanswered.

In particular the thorny issue of water.

Farmers want to be able to store rainwater more easily to anticipate episodes of drought.

The government is working on the subject, but no concrete measures have yet been taken, notes Hervé Lapie, secretary general of the FNSEA.

"We can have periods of great intensity of rain like we had this winter. We can have in 2 or 3 months a major period of drought. (The question, editor's note) is how do we improve the regulatory mechanisms so that we have faster authorizations and that it can be put in place. We have too many projects in France which have been open for 5,10,15 years which have still not seen the light of day", explains- he told Europe 1. The Ministry of Agriculture assures that the bill which must be presented at the end of the month will respond to this subject. 

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What about the 150 million euros announced? 

Another still sensitive issue: the breeders who are still waiting for the announced support of 150 million euros.

There is also the issue of farmers’ pensions.

But for Jean-François Lamassé, administrator at the General Association of Wheat Producers (AGPB), the government is only moving backwards on this subject: “It was planned that we would take the best 25 years of farmers to establish their retirement. It should come into force in 2026 and now they are talking to us about 2028. More bullshit. Emmanuel Macron, he doesn't care about farmers in France." 

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture assumes the tempo of these decisions.

“This crisis will only be resolved over time,” Marc Fesneau defended yesterday, traveling in Moselle.