A third meeting of the committee for monitoring the drought situation in the agricultural world was held on Monday. After this exchange with players in the sector, the Minister of Agriculture announced a series of measures to help breeders and farmers. The objective is to preserve cash as much as possible. France Bleu takes stock.
Among these measures: the mobilization, as quickly as possible, of the agricultural calamity scheme for eligible crops, that is to say those which are not insurable. Grasslands for example. “Some breeders are selling their animals, -2% beef cows in July, it’s worrying”, underlines Christiane Lambert, the president of the FNSEA union. For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture indicates that “grass production is in deficit: the cumulative production of permanent grasslands is 21% lower than the reference period, with an acceleration of degradation in July”.
The advance on CAP aid will be higher
The advance on aid from the CAP, Europe’s common agricultural policy, will be higher than usual. “Advances on the compensatory allowance for natural handicap – usually up to 75% – will be paid up to 85% and advances for decoupled aid – usually up to 50% – will be paid up to 75%”, says the Ministry of Agriculture. Otherwise, exemptions from social contributions and taxes on undeveloped land will be granted.
Adjustments to specifications for AOPs
Finally, productions under the label obtain derogations such as the Espelette pepper. The specifications of the registered designation of origin (AOP) normally allow watering only in the first month following sowing. But the production being threatened because of the lack of rain, this rule obtains an exemption.
Same thing for certain cheese productions. For Cantal or Salers, for example, the milk must normally come from cows that have mainly fed in the meadows. Exceptionally, this obligation is waived.