Paris (AFP)
The government will allow the opening of the compensation scheme for "calamities" to farmers and breeders victims of the drought who should also benefit from other emergency cash aid such as certain tax breaks, the Minister of Finance announced on Friday. Agriculture Julien Denormandie.
"We are taking exceptional measures to support farmers in the face of repeated episodes of drought," said on Franceinfo the minister who also confirmed that a "significant part" of the agricultural component of the recovery plan of the The economy to be announced on August 25 will be devoted to "adapting our crops to climate change".
"For all the departments that may come under the agricultural calamity", the minister indicated that he would be "very vigilant" so that the farmers concerned can benefit from it.
"When does this happen? At the end of the drought episode, we see the consequences of the reduction in yield and we make these declarations (...) which then give rise to financial support," he said. the minister without giving the budget amount.
In emergency measures, in addition to the green light for the use of fallows to feed livestock and the shift in sowing dates imposed by the common agricultural policy (CAP), already announced, the minister mentioned the advance payment of CAP "higher" down payments, and "land tax relief paid by farmers" for the worst-hit areas.
Earlier this week, the president of the agricultural union Modef Pierre Thomas asked for the activation of the national agricultural risk management fund (FNGRA) to compensate farmers exposed to drought damage. The president of the FNSEA Christiane Lambert had also asked for load reductions or even staggered bank repayments for agricultural businesses.
"Beyond these very short-term agronomic and financial measures, it is above all necessary to prepare for the future, this is the objective of the recovery plan where a substantial part of the agricultural component of the recovery plan will be devoted to adaptation of our agriculture to the effects of climate change ", added the Minister.
On this aspect, he cited three examples: financing the purchase of protective materials against hail, financing research to find seeds more suited to climate change, and improving resource management, in particular. in water.
"After the drought, there are very violent storms, hail: today, we have materials to protect against these phenomena, which are expensive, we must be able to finance them to support our farmers", added the minister who goes to two farms in Haute-Garonne on Friday.
For water management, Mr. Denormandie judged "absolutely not normal" that a project for the construction of a water retention basin could "take 8 to 10 years" and mentioned "simplification measures" to be initiated " in consultation "in order to avoid" conflicts of use ".
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