Farmers in 11 departments will benefit from rapid compensation for agricultural disasters for the damage caused by the summer drought, particularly in livestock, the National Committee for Risk Management in Agriculture (CNGRA) announced on Tuesday.
Even if the reconnaissance campaign does not end until the end of October, the Committee has identified areas for which the losses observed make them already eligible for agricultural disasters, indicated the Minister of Agriculture in a press release.
These areas identified in and around the Massif Central cover 11 departments – Ardche, Aveyron, Cantal, Drme, Loire, Haute-Loire, Lot, Lozre, Puy-de-Dme, Rhne and Tarn – and may be subject to initial reconnaissance on the basis of a provisional loss rate.
Advance payments will be initiated at the beginning of November for these priority areas, as the files are examined, the minister indicated. This significant acceleration of the calendar for the forage areas most affected by the drought will allow an initial contribution of crucial cash for the benefit of the most affected farmers.
76.3 million euros in aid in total
The Minister thus hopes to avoid an uncontrolled decapitalisation, that is to say to avoid farmers selling their livestock en masse which they can no longer feed, for lack of grass harvested during the summer or lack of capital to buy them food.
The committee met on Tuesday to rule on requests for recognition as agricultural disasters of the various climatic hazards that occurred at the start of 2022. Taking into account the first recognitions carried out on July 6, the CNGRA also confirmed that it recognizes in agricultural disasters the damage linked to the April 2022 frost on a total of 27 departments.
Farmers in these departments will receive provisional compensation which will amount to a total of 76.3 million euros, said the minister, mainly in arboriculture.
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The Garonne valley, the Dordogne, certain eastern regions and the north of the Aquitaine region were particularly affected.
Regarding the hailstorms of May and June, 11 departments were recognized as agricultural disasters, for loss of funds (means of production), for an amount of 1.8 million euros in provisional compensation, added the minister.
A new meeting of the CNGRA is scheduled for December, to determine the final rates for the departments most affected by the drought.