In France, some grain growers are ready to produce more to limit the consequences of the war in Ukraine. Usually, he cultivates 140 hectares of cereals but for Jean-Philippe Odorico, in 2022, it will probably be a little more. “I have fallow land, we are putting it back into useexplains the farmer. We start plowing and we prepare the land to sow the soil for next fall.” The European Ministers of Agriculture agreed on Wednesday March 23 to cultivate fallow land.
This method, which makes it possible to regenerate the soil and biodiversity, will therefore not be compulsory in 2022. Until now, cereal farmers had to leave 4% of their land fallow. Removing this rule because of the war in Ukraine is a good decision according to this farmer from Haute-Garonne. “We have a shortage, we have to restart the machineadvance Jean-Philippe Odorico. We have to do our best to try to fill the gap.”
This is also what Jean-Francois Lamassé, president of the FDSEA in Haute-Garonne thinks: “It has been explained for a very long time that if there was a crisis like that of Ukraine, the French would experience it very badly. We have been saying it for a while and no one wanted to believe us. Today, we are paying the consequences.” What this grain grower now wants is the definitive end of fallow land.
“We have to work normally again so that the French do not pay 4 euros for the baguette. We must be able to continue to be able to export and remain in the global and European economy.”
Jean-Francois Lamassé, president of the FDSEA in Haute-Garonneat franceinfo
A prospect that worries environmentalists. In charge of agriculture and food for Greenpeace France, Laure Ducose denounces a step back: “It’s provisional but we are very suspicious because we have had a lot of announcements in recent years about what was ‘provisional’.” The activist takes the example of neonicotinoid pesticides or that “glyphosate which was supposed to be banned and which was not”.
“This is one of the very few environmental advances that exists at European level and the agro-industry has gone to ask for the cancellation of this measure.”
Laure Ducose, Greenpeace Franceat franceinfo
According to this activist, however, there are other solutions to produce more cereals. “We could do otherwiseadvance Laura Ducose. For example, land dedicated to biofuels could be used. We could produce a little less animal feed and therefore largely compensate for the losses in Ukraine and Russia and be able to contribute to feeding other countries if necessary, but not by cultivating fallow land. According to the European Commission, the use of fallow land could release a potential of 4 million additional hectares.