The powerful agricultural union FNSEA emerged “satisfied” on Tuesday from a meeting with the Prime Minister, ensuring that it had obtained the abandonment of the tax increase intended to limit the use of pesticides and water withdrawals and should in particular be used to finance water agencies.
This interview came after several weeks of demonstrations organized throughout France at the call of the Young Farmers’ Union and the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), under the slogan We march on our heads.
The discontent concerns various subjects ranging from measures on pesticides to European free trade agreements currently being negotiated, including Brussels’ refusal to extend into 2024 the exemption allowing fallow land to be cultivated.
The president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, was pleased to have won his case on a major demand: the renunciation of the increase in the fee for diffuse pollution (RPD)collected on pesticide sales, as well as that of the fee for withdrawal from water resources for irrigation.
These provisions, provided for in the 2024 finance bill, were to make it possible to raise respectively 37 million and 10 million additional euros to supplement the financing of water agencies, which participate in the management of the quality and quantity of water. water in a territory.
For our part, we are committed to getting to work to build sustainable trajectories for the increase in these taxes in the coming years, Arnaud Rousseau underlined Tuesday evening in front of the press, following the meeting with Elisabeth Borne, where was also present the Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau.
Announcements made during December
We left this meeting satisfied, because we were heard, he said. We listened attentively to the Prime Minister who asked us a lot of questions to understand the growing gap between public comments, the amounts committed and the feelings on the ground, added the official.
Also present at the meeting, the president of Young Farmers Arnaud Gaillot welcomed progress on the development of the pact and the draft law on orientation and the future for agriculture.
A consultation was launched in 2022 on these texts aimed at rebuilding French agriculture, to ensure both the transfer of farms, the installation of young farmers and the environmental transition of a sector which must continue to produce the country’s food while reducing its CO2 emissions. The timetable has been pushed back several times.
Several points are still under discussion, notably on support measures, indicated Arnaud Gaillot. According to the Matignon discussions on Tuesday, the announcements on the Pact, by the Prime Minister, should be done during Decemberhe indicated.
On the Agricultural Orientation Law, it has not yet been decided whether it would be before or after the Agricultural Show, scheduled from February 24 to March 3. But by the end of the year, we want the law to be clearly marked on the parliamentary calendar with a precise date, he added.