A bale of straw for a desk, and a farm shed instead of a Matignon lounge. It is in this setting that the newly appointed Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, chose to address farmers on Friday January 26.
The location, Montastruc-de-Salies, a small village in Haute-Garonne, was not a coincidence either. It is in this Toulouse region that farmers began to express their anger almost eight days ago. Since then, the protest, part of the base, has been orchestrated by the various unions, the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA) associated with the Young Farmers, of course, but also the Rural Coordination and the Peasant Confederation, to the point to extend over a large part of the territory. Friday morning, the Ile-de-France grain farmers of the FNSEA brandished the ultimate threat of blocking Paris. It is an understatement to say that Mr. Attal’s speech was expected.
Unsurprisingly, the Prime Minister mentioned concrete emergency measures intended to calm people’s minds. The progressive increase – over six years – of the tax on non-road diesel, which came into force at the start of 2024, which caused some teeth-grinding on the ground, is abandoned. Gabriel Attal did not fail, however, to emphasize that it had been negotiated with the FNSEA, while highlighting the fact that the compensation system put in place did not bring anything back to the State and did not benefit the most small farms.
On this subject, the head of government also announced that the discount would now be made at the pump, and not at the end of the year, and that while waiting for this to be operational, in July, an envelope of 215 million euros would be released to pay an advance. A way to relieve the cash flow of certain farms.
Ten simplification measures, applicable by decree
The host of Matignon reinforced emergency aid for breeders affected by epizootic hemorrhagic disease – to the tune of 50 million euros –, for Breton farmers affected by the storm – with a doubling of the envelope – and awarded the suffering organic sector with additional support amounting to 50 million euros. As for viticulture, it should, for its part, benefit from a new aid plan – it will be revealed soon.
Faced with recurring criticism of the complexity of procedures and the “sticks in the wheel” of which some farmers feel victims, Gabriel Attal has decided to present ten simplification measures, applicable by decree. From reducing the time limits for appeals against an agricultural project, such as basins or livestock buildings, to limiting administrative controls to one per year, including the reduction to a single regulation for hedges. In the process, he launched, for one month, a simplification project, with feedback expected from the departments and a presentation of the results at the Agricultural Show, which is being held in Paris from February 24 to 3 March.
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