Has the agricultural crisis reached a turning point? While the movement continues to intensify, the government, in negotiations with the majority unions since the beginning of the week, presented this Thursday, February 1, a new package of measures intended to respond to the discontent of the peasant world. At the same time, Emmanuel Macron spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on the sidelines of a European summit officially devoted to aid to Ukraine.
Upgrading the status of farmers and their remuneration
A food sovereignty objective will be included in the law, announced Gabriel Attal during a press conference in Matignon. Each year, a report will be published by the government on food sovereignty, a first delivery will be presented before the Agricultural Show which is held at the end of February. In addition, a sovereignty plan will also be presented for each sector “that needs it”, particularly in livestock farming. Furthermore, this sector will benefit in 2024 “150 million euros in tax and social support”. The exemption threshold for agricultural inheritances must be raised, a measure intended to support generational renewal.
The bill to limit neighborhood conflicts in rural areas, adopted at the end of the year by the National Assembly, will be included on the Senate agenda. This text must protect farmers against abusive appeals.
The government also intends to strengthen the provisions of the various Egalim laws, which aim to protect farmers’ remuneration. The executive wishes to accelerate the food objectives set by the Egalim I law for collective catering, namely 50% sustainable and quality products and 20% organic in supplies. Egalim 1 and 2, adopted also aimed to prevent producers from bearing the brunt of the fierce price war between supermarkets on the one hand, and distributors and suppliers of the agro-industry on the other.
In this context, Bruno Le Maire also announced massive controls “in the coming days” on manufacturers and supermarkets, which will notably concern “all the largest chains” of supermarkets.
In addition, the Minister of the Economy announced “10,000 checks on the French origin of products” with sanctions which could “reach 10% of the turnover of manufacturers or distributors who have committed fraud”. “An agricultural product stamped as of French origin by its labeling must really be of French origin,” insisted Bruno Le Maire.
Fight against unfair competition and stacking of standards
Gabriel Attal indicated the establishment of a “safeguard clause” to prevent the importation into France of fruits and vegetables treated with thiacloprid, a pesticide banned in Europe. “We will propose the creation of a European control force to fight against health fraud and the importation of products which do not respect European rules,” said the Prime Minister.
The government will also pause the Ecophyto plan aimed at reducing the use of pesticides, “time to put in place new indicators”.
On the food aspect, the Prime Minister wants to have “clear legislation at European level on the name of what synthetic meat is”. “No, synthetic meat does not correspond to our vision of French food! “, he insisted.
Gabriel Attal also announces an exemption from European rules for maintaining grasslands, which require relocations when agricultural areas encroach on natural land. “We must get back around the table to better protect our meadows, which are essential to our landscapes and the fight against climate change, while getting out of totally absurd situations where farmers are forced to reestablish meadows even though they have stopped their breeding activity,” he explained.
Pending European measures
At the European level, Brussels already announced on Tuesday that it was considering a new derogation on fallow land. Entering into force last year, the new common agricultural policy (CAP) provides that at least 4% of arable land on a farm be left fallow or converted into semi-natural habitats (hedges, ditches, groves, ponds, etc. .) in order to preserve biodiversity. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this provision never came into force to allow European producers to increase their yield and remain competitive in the face of massive imports of Ukrainian agri-food products, a consequence of the lifting of customs duties decided by Brussels to support kyiv and the country’s economy. But this suspension should have ended on January 1, 2024, to the great dismay of farmers who are asking for at least its extension.
Concerning the exemption from customs duties granted to Ukraine, which could be extended until June 2025, and which farmers denounce as a competitive weapon which allows Kiev to sell foodstuffs on the European market at cut-off prices , Brussels proposes the establishment of a “safeguard clause”. Taxes will be automatically reinstated beyond a certain volume of imports for three types of products: poultry, eggs and sugar.
The question of the free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries remains unanswered. Since 2019, Brussels has been trying to complete this economic partnership, the first milestones of which date back to the 2000s. A handful of European countries, including France, are firmly opposed to it. They believe that the South American countries concerned are not respecting the Paris climate agreement, and therefore fear seeing products arriving on the domestic market that escape the constraints imposed on European operators. Tuesday, on the sidelines of his state visit to Sweden, Emmanuel Macron reiterated his opposition to this agreement. “We request that the agreement, as it is in place, not be signed. »
“Mercosur: there is no question of France accepting this treaty, it is clear, it is clear and it is firm”, hammered Gabriel Attal this Thursday. Before coming into force, the EU-Mercosur agreement must still be adopted by the European Parliament, then by the member states unanimously. However, the European Commission has the possibility of circumventing part of this procedure.