“It is not a license to destroy nature”, defends the Minister of Agriculture

Criticized in particular on the revision of the scale of penalties in the event of environmental damage, Marc Fesneau defends a “gradation according to intentionality”.

“It is not a license to destroy nature”, defends himself Wednesday May 29 on France Inter Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, the day after the adoption at first reading in the National Assembly of the agricultural orientation bill, strongly criticized by the left and environmental associations.

Particularly arousing their criticism, the article which revises the scale of penalties in the event of damage to the environment and “reserves the qualification of an offense” to attacks “intentionally”. Seeing this as a reversal of the burden of proof, the Generation of Ecology MP Delphine Batho thus accused this text of delivering “a license to destroy nature”. Marc Fesneau maintains that it is not a question of handing over “involves the question intentional or not”. “We simply say that we judge and gauge the gradation of sentences based on intentionality,” he specifies.

The minister thus believes that he “it is not normal that the sentence is the same for someone who [réalise] knowingly, and sometimes in repeating an intentional act” and for someone who realizes “an unintentional act”.

The text adopted at first reading in the National Assembly also intends to simplify the legal regime for hedges, considered too complicated by farmers. Marc Fesneau even describes it as “the most complicated regulation in the world”. “The measures were so effective that every year 20,000 kilometers of hedges disappeared”, quips the minister. He reminds us that hedges are beneficial “for water, biodiversity, soils and for the climate”. But he fears that with the multiplication of rules, currently “the first reflex” farmers who wish to plant them is to think “Let the trouble begin.”

Finally, the Minister of Agriculture insists that this bill provides solutions to challenges “central” of the profession, namely the “renewal of generations”. By 2030, “40 to 50% of farmers will be able to retire, or 200,000 farms which will look for a buyer in a context of crisis”, recalls Marc Fesneau. To attract young people, we must therefore endeavor to respond to “the question of remuneration”. On this point, the minister highlights “the Egalim laws” that it will be necessary, according to him, “perfect”. “It will come in the summer”, he adds. Marc Fesneau also believes that to attract arms, “you have to accept the transitions”. “The system on which farmers will be called to settle is a system subject to climate change (…) and every day I see farms in a situation of impasse”he regrets.