It is in the farm of Monique and Jean-Paul Dauge, in Luzillat in the Puy-de-Dôme, that Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on April 23, 2021 the upgrading agricultural pensions. Jean-Paul, 79, remembers the exchange well. “I told him that agriculture was in danger of doing like our industry, of going away”, he explains.
As of Monday, November 1, small farmers’ pensions go from 75% to 85% of the net minimum wage to reach the goal, set by Emmanuel Macron, of a minimum pension of 1,000 euros per month. This concerns about 227,000 farmers.
Concrete: from November 1, 227,000 farmers will receive an average of € 100 more per month on average. pic.twitter.com/UgpvDao8cu
– Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) April 23, 2021
The difficulties are manifold. There is the problem of attractiveness of the profession, or that of agricultural land. For the farmer, the government does not understand the financing of agricultural pensions. “Today a young worker has to pay 3.5 pensions. From there, how do you want it to fit financially?”, demand Jean-Paul Dauge.
“We haven’t understood each other for a while.”
Jean-Paul Dauge, farmerto franceinfo
And it’s not going to get better. Half of the farmers are due to retire in less than ten years. At what price, wonders Jean-Paul Dauge. “I was one of the privileged, I had almost the 1000 euros of retirement so I will have in addition maybe 30 or 40 euros”, calculates the farmer. “760 euros on average for our agricultural pensions, we have poverty pensions”, he concludes.
Pensions slightly revalued to 1,035 euros minimum for 227,000 heads of operations. Their spouses, who have even lower pensions, will obtain, when a new law is adopted, an increase of around one hundred euros.