Surrounded by around thirty actors from the agricultural world, Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty toured the farm of Laurent Faure, farmer and breeder from Aouste-sur-Sye. Accompanied by Célia de Lavergne, candidate for the legislative elections in the third constituency of the Drôme, the minister who came to support her noted that this farmer’s production was particularly advanced this year.
The drought has not spared the soil of its exploitation of aromatic plants. Laurent produces several varieties of lavender. This year they are ten days ahead. The plain of Valence is on heightened drought alert, water use is limited. Yet this farmer must sow. To water, he uses water from the Drôme but since the tributary was placed on heightened alert Laurent can no longer pump as much as he needs.
The policy of the current government consists in determining the volumes of water that can be mobilized without threatening the environment. But right next door, Grégoire Emmanuel, a farmer in Allex challenges the Minister of Agriculture: “when we reach 40% water restriction, we have to anticipate. Let me explain, Monday and Tuesday I can’t use water, and well in this case I anticipate and I use it today even if my plant does not need to be watered yet. You see how this system can be counterproductive.”
According to the Minister of Agriculture, this problem must be territorialized. That is to say, it must case by case : “IThe same restrictive measures cannot apply everywhere“explains Marc Fesneau.
The participants in this ministerial visit brought up other issues: the fight against increasingly repetitive wolf attacks and the increase in the price of raw materials.
– Lucile Auconie