MPs began examining the government’s agricultural bill on Wednesday, largely rejecting a motion to reject the environmental group aimed at cutting short the debates. The motion was rejected by only 84 votes, with 224 MPs voting against.
Rewritten to respond to the winter anger of farmers, the government text intends to respond to the two “immense challenges” posed to this sector: the “demographic challenge”, while “within ten years, almost half of the farm managers could retire”; and the challenge of adapting to “the great upheavals of the century”, such as “climate change”, “biodiversity issues”, “geopolitical risks”, explained the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau.
“Third of the agricultural area of our country will change hands”
Drôme MP Marie Pochon defended her group’s motion, castigating the government’s “craps”, and a law continuing the “unraveling begun of environmental law rather than finally initiating the massive transition to organic farming, which was not even mentioned in the original bill. La France insoumise, the socialists and the communists added their voices to those of the environmentalists. “In partnership with the management of the FNSEA, the only union which campaigns for the disappearance of its own members, you have set your course: that of the planned collapse of family farming for the benefit of agribusiness,” Loïc lambasted Prud’homme (LFI).
The president of the PCF group, André Chassaigne, denounced the government’s support for free trade agreements which “condemn our agriculture”, while the socialist Dominique Potier criticized an “inept” law, which does not answer the central question of “land”, while “in the next ten years”, a “third of the agricultural area of our country will change hands”.
“Rekindle the flames”
While opposing the motion, the RN mocked a “text which stands out for its vacuity”: “nothing in this bill on unfair competition, nothing on overtranspositions (of French law in relation to European law Editor’s note ), nothing on agricultural decline and especially nothing on remunerative prices” for farmers, criticized Grégoire de Fournas. “Our vote against this rejection motion in no way prejudges the very negative opinion that we have on this bill and which, barring a miracle by then, will be expressed during the final vote,” threatened the deputy .
“How much time wasted proposing insufficient measures (…) You will not only disappoint but you could rekindle the flames of anger,” warned LR deputy Julien Dive. And, putting pressure on the government, which will need the contribution of votes from the right to pass its text, he recalled that the question of “soil diagnosis” was for his group a “red line”. On the majority side, Luc Lamirault (Horizons) hoped that the debates could lead to the establishment of “a land regulation tool”.
And Nicolas Pacquot (Renaissance) praised a text which contains a “simplification component with an overhaul of the rules, a reduction in the time limits for appeals against agricultural projects and water reservoirs, the adaptation of the regime for repressing violations environmental law, procedures and reduced penalties”. Examination of the text is scheduled until May 22.