Gabriel Attal finally spoke about ecology, Friday January 26, during a trip to Haute-Garonne. But his speech was not really in the direction hoped for by environmental defense associations. Criticized since his appointment for not having mentioned ecological planning during his first interventions, the Prime Minister defended farmers, who “some, in the political debate, present themselves as enemies of the environment”. “I no longer want us to accept these kinds of sentences”he said, once again implicitly pointing the finger at the left and elected environmentalists.
After the words, the head of government moved on to promises, committing to “drastically simplify our procedures and standards”, one of the demands of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA). Almost all of the ten measures cited mark a slowdown, or even a step backwards, in environmental policy. The time limit for appeals against installations classified for environmental protection (ICPE), such as “megabasins”, will be reduced to two months; a presumption of urgency of ten months will be created in order to accelerate the examination of appeals; pause “to discuss zoning” wetlands is decided… For a month, the prefects must discuss with the operators to continue to remove these “sticks in the wheels”according to the expression of Mr. Attal.
Friday evening, environmental defenders denounced a one-sided discourse, very favorable to large operators. “By returning to directives or standards which make it possible to keep plots fallow, to protect the 10% of wetlands that remain in France, it sacrifices very important tools for biodiversity, comments Antoine Gatet, president of France Nature Environnement. It removes all barriers to industrial agriculture, which, precisely, condemns small local farmers. » “On the method, we are concerned about the opacity of the discussions which will open between prefects and farmers. We have no vision of what will be discussed and decided”adds Elyne Etienne, head of agriculture and food at the Foundation for Nature and Man.
“Disarmament” of the environmental police
While the subject of megabasins is a recurring source of conflict, Gabriel Attal complicates the associations’ procedures. These acceleration measures on water retention projects already appeared in the agricultural orientation pact, presented in mid-December 2023. They also concern the extensions of livestock buildings.
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