“I plead good faith and the right to make mistakes, moreover collectively. » It is in these terms that the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, made his mea culpa, Tuesday May 21, regarding the removal of the rural code of quantified objectives on the areas to be achieved in organic agriculture and legumes , adopted by the deputies on the night of May 16 to 17, without having been the subject of prior debate. The withdrawal of these objectives was the result of a very broad rewriting of article 1 of the agricultural bill, debated in the National Assembly since Wednesday May 15. It went relatively unnoticed during a chaotic examination on Thursday, marked by chain votes on more than 560 sub-amendments.
On Friday, the minister assumed this withdrawal, ensuring that the objectives still appeared in the government’s various plans and strategies and that it was “it is useless to put annual objectives in the law”. Four days later, the speech was profoundly changed: “What objectives fall under the law (…)? This debate is not in vain »declared Tuesday Marc Fesneau, noting that they “allows us to send a signal concerning the intention of the legislator and the executive. » And to insist: “We will see where and how [les] insert, at the latest as part of the shuttle [parlementaire entre le Sénat et l’Assemblée nationale]. (…) You have my word ; I make a public commitment. »
“Mr. Fesneau expressed his wish for an exit from the top of this episode. We hear itexpresses the socialist deputy for Meurthe-et-Moselle, Dominique Potier. We cannot oppose objectives and means. And it is because we have objectives in the law that we can evaluate the action of the State. » The MP uses as an example the case of the Egalim law (Agriculture and food), which set targets for the supply of organic products in public collective catering: “If we had not had objectives in the law, we could have been delighted to have gone from 4.5% in 2018 to 13% in 2022 of organic products in canteens, even though we are very far away of the 20% set by law. »
” A very good news “
Contacted, Mr. Fesneau’s office confirms World her “openness to a return of objectives in the rural code at a multi-annual deadline, which could be for example 2030”but does not comment on the government’s change of heart.
“It is very good news that we are coming to our senses on this issue, reacts MP Marie Pochon (EELV, Drôme). There was dogmatism in the examination of the amendments, with a rejection of everything that came from the left and environmentalists. But we will be part of any joint effort to reintroduce these objectives into the law. »
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