Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised on Saturday to “make life easier” for farmers and to remove “all the obstacles” that prevent young people from settling down, during an exchange with French people organized in Saint-Laurent-d’Agny (Rhone).
Agriculture is “an absolutely major subject (…) that I take very seriously,” the new head of government immediately affirmed.
The executive is concerned to see the angry demonstrations by farmers gaining momentum a month before the opening of the Agricultural Show (from February 24 to March 3 in Paris) and as the European elections approach.
Gabriel Attal is due to meet Monday evening with leaders of the FNSEA/Young Farmers allied unions.
He was questioned by a market gardener and arborist from the department, Bruno Ferret, who is annoyed by “too high” contributions, “illegible and inapplicable regulations” and the ban on using pesticides authorized elsewhere in France.
“You must be able to live from your work,” declared the head of government, adding that there will be “more controls” to ensure that the annual commercial negotiations between supermarket brands and their suppliers. agro-industry does not come at the expense of the price paid to farmers who produce the raw materials for food.
“From next week, the General Directorate for Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF) will increase controls on current commercial negotiations to ensure the preservation of the income of agricultural producers,” assured a little earlier the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire during a trip to Flavigny (Marne).
Gabriel Attal also said he wanted to “make life easier” for farmers who undergo “paperwork, forms to fill out”.
He also recalled that the government would soon present a bill to promote succession in agriculture.
“What we need is to remove all the obstacles that prevent (young people) today from settling down and to facilitate transmission,” he said.