Sécheresse : le gouvernement promet un milliard pour les agriculteurs

A new plan worth over one billion euros has been unveiled by the French government to combat the ongoing drought and heatwave, which has left between 30,000 to 35,000 farms at risk or facing collapse. Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard warned that this represents nearly 10% of all French farms. The primary goal of the first tranche of announcements, dubbed CASI (climate, adaptation, drought, fire), is to compensate for agricultural losses, prevent bankruptcies, and stimulate agricultural production in order to facilitate the purchase of seeds and fodder.

Among the dozen measures, three key initiatives account for the majority of the executive's spending. The solidarity national insurance, a public compensation mechanism for crop losses, will be accelerated and increased by 520 million euros, provided the 2027 budget is adopted. In addition, a "farm rearming fund" of 235 million euros will target the most affected and priority farms, such as market gardeners, cereal growers, and livestock farmers, in the coming weeks.

The distribution among departments is still being finalized. Genevard cautioned that if certain productions decrease, "we will lose landscapes, market shares, and sovereignty." Another significant aspect is the reduction of property tax on undeveloped land, which will save the state 330 million euros in revenue. The extension of aid windows for purchasing fertilizers or non-road agricultural gasoline is also on the table.

The funding for all these measures will come from a mix of short-term credit deferrals from the agriculture ministry, savings in other ministries, and new credits granted by the next finance law. The government has also issued a message to large retailers to "contain price increases" in their departments. In the coming weeks, an "agriculture rebound plan" must be detailed by the executive, which will include the main measures in the 2027 budget.