Meeting between Emmanuel Macron and agricultural unions, Ecophyto plan, bad weather…Marc Fesneau’s “8:30 am franceinfo”

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Friday May 3, 2024.

Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture, was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Friday May 3, 2024. Meeting between the president and the main agricultural unions, the Écophyto plan, the agricultural orientation bill, bad weather… He answered questions from Victoria Koussa and Jean-Rémi Baudot.

“I don’t think it’s still stuck.”

The day after a meeting at the Élysée between Emmanuel Macron and agricultural unions to discuss the “prospects” of the sector and “act the end” of this winter’s crisis, Marc Fesneau is confident and “don’t think it’s still stuck”. Arnaud Rousseauthe boss of the FNSEA wants results within four or five months, and “that’s the goal”, answers Marc Fesneau. In particular, he calls for “think over the long term” on the remuneration of farmers.

“50% reduction in phytosanitary products”

“In the name of what, we would ask agriculture to eliminate molecules which are not at risk”, defends the Minister of Agriculture. He wants, with the Écophyto plan, to have “objective” there “50% reduction in phytosanitary products”. If certain pesticides are not at risk, “why, they would be banned”, he questions. On the other hand, he assures that “if the risk is proven, it is reduced and eliminated if necessary”.

To halve the use of pesticides by 2030, the objective of the Écophyto plan, Marc Fesneau announces “150 million euros each year for the search for alternatives, all sectors combined”.

“We need to produce, livestock buildings”

“No, we are not purely in the symbol”said Marc Fesneau, while the deputies gave the green light Thursday in committee to recognize the“major general interest” of agriculture, as part of the examination of the agricultural orientation bill.

The minister advocates a “balance” between environment and agriculture, otherwise, “in the end, we will sacrifice our agriculture”. “We had given the feeling, sometimes at the national level, sometimes at the European level, that it was agriculture that was suffering”he says.

Marc Fesneau also denies favoring “large farms” through the text, as the opposition accuses. He denounces a “caricature”a “image of Epinal”. “It’s not big [exploitations] obviously, but we need to produce, breeding buildings”taking poultry production as an example. “We are not going to feed people with a henhouse of 50 hens”he said.

Finally, the bill will address the creation of “land investment groups”, to make it possible to raise money from investors, in order to buy agricultural land and then rent it to new farmers. Deleting amendments were tabled, including from the majority. “I agree with the idea that we must not financialize, we must be careful not to financialize, so guidelines will be put in the text”adds the minister.

“We will have very heavy damage”

“National solidarity will be implemented through the insurance systems put in place”says the Minister of Agriculture, after the storms which struck on the evening of May 1st. “Obviously, we will have very heavy damage”, in Chablis. He has the “feeling that on 25% of the vineyard, we are between 80% and 100% losses”but he “you have to wait a bit” to see the exact consequences.

Find the entire “8:30 a.m. franceinfo” from Friday May 3, 2024: