Marc Fesneau wants “exemptions on fallowing”
In the midst of a crisis in the agricultural sector, the Minister of Agriculture is due to go to Brussels on Wednesday where he will meet the Commissioner for Agriculture, the Pole Janusz Wojciechowski. There will be question of possible exemptions on the fallowing of 4% of the land of certain farms or even the opening of the internal market to Ukrainian products.
“I am very hopeful that the European Commission will announce exemptions on fallowing”, said Marc Fesneau, Wednesday morning, on Sud Radio. In theory, if farmers want to receive aid from the common agricultural policy (CAP), they must ensure that 4% of the surface area of their farm (if it is greater than 10 hectares) is non-productive (fallowing of arable land, ponds, hedges, etc.). They can reduce this percentage to 3%, in which case they must devote 4% of their land to crops that benefit biodiversity, such as legumes, or that allow rotation, such as corn and sunflowers.
On Wednesday, Mr. Fesneau announced that he was at the head of“a coalition of 22 out of 27 countries” to request exemptions from this provision. “At a time when, in Europe, we import 40 million tonnes of cereals – in France we are exporters – to think that there should be totally unproductive land, there are things that are curious »he explained.
Concerning imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to support the Kiev economy mired in the war with Russia, Mr. Fesneau wants the establishment of“a quantum of import” on poultry, cereals and sugar.