organic professionals demand emergency aid

The number of producers who claim to be organic is increasing, but faced with soaring prices, they are seeing customers flee quickly. Products from organic farming are already expensive to begin with and the general rise in prices doesn’t help. According to the profession, turnover losses this year reach around 270 million euros.

>> “I had never experienced this”: faced with the organic crisis, a producer deplores “insufficient support from the State

The shock wave reached transformers and distributors. Last year, their number fell by 2% and more and more are going out of business. If we add up all the brands in France, there are today a little less than 29,000. Hence the appeal launched to the public authorities at the time of the budget debate in the National Assembly. The 2024 finance law “must help the organic sector”plead the stakeholders concerned who fear the difficulties to come, particularly in terms of jobs.

A profession in waiting

The National Union of Organic Agri-Food Companies, Synabio, is calling for an envelope of 326 million euros in the 2024 finance bill, as well as amendments to the law to preserve the production and processing potential of organic products in France. . The Egalim law sets objectives but these are far from being achieved. As a reminder, the Egalim law, adopted in 2021, aims to protect farmers’ remuneration.

The sector takes the example of school canteens. The law requires at least 20% organic products on students’ plates. According to professionals, today we are really only at 7%. An amendment is planned in the 2024 Finance Bill currently being debated in the National Assembly: releasing 50 million euros to support municipalities and ensure that they meet the objectives. A previous action of this type with parliamentarians had made it possible to release credits in excess of one hundred million euros, but it cannot be said that history repeats itself.