PM guarantees new regulation to safeguard farm earnings
22 February 2024
3 minute learn
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal tried to ease tensions with farmers on Wednesday by outlining the implementation of measures introduced this month and promising a brand new regulation to higher safeguard their earnings, reported Reuters.
Attal made the announcement in a speech earlier than the annual Salon de l’Agriculture farming commerce truthful, which President Emmanuel Macron is because of launch on Saturday.
Whereas some native grievances range, farmers’ protests in France and different European international locations have uncovered tensions over the influence on farming of a European Union drive to struggle local weather change and the opening of the door to low cost Ukrainian imports to assist Kyiv’s struggle effort.
Convoys of tractors disrupted site visitors round Madrid on Wednesday as farmers protested in opposition to what they see as extreme pink tape and inadequate state assist. In Greece, hundreds of farmers spent the evening in entrance of parliament to protest in opposition to rising gas and manufacturing prices.
In France, farmers largely suspended weeks of protests that included blocking highways after Attal on Feb. 1 promised new measures.
However the farmers say they don’t seem to be being paid sufficient and are choked by taxes, inexperienced guidelines and face unfair competitors from overseas, and have been urgent the federal government to indicate the primary outcomes of the emergency measures earlier than the commerce truthful.
“We heard the farmers’ name, we made commitments, we’re retaining them,” Attal instructed reporters.
Macron and his authorities are cautious of farmers’ rising assist for the far proper forward of European Parliament elections in June.
New worth regulation
The brand new Egalim regulation, designed to ensure truthful costs on the farm gate and strengthen the place of farmers in negotiations with retailers and shopper items makers, will probably be prepared by the summer time, Attal stated.
It’ll purpose at guaranteeing the price-fixing system begins from farmers, enhance manufacturing value indicators and guarantee European buying our bodies comply, he stated.
Controls on the appliance of the present Egalim regulation confirmed two European buying our bodies had not complied and had been dealing with sanctions of tens of thousands and thousands of euros, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated.
Attal introduced an exemption from this yr of contributions for almost all seasonal agricultural staff, primarily utilized in grape and fruit selecting, and stated it will be simpler for them to get momentary visas.
A selected plan for livestock breeders, who’re notably affected by a drop in earnings, will probably be offered on the farm present, he stated.
A authorities supply stated the finances for the agriculture reduction plan remained 400 million euros ($431.88 million), regardless of the brand new measures.
Farm unions welcomed the measures however stated some requests remained unanswered.
“We’d be dishonest to not recognise that issues are trending in the appropriate route,” younger farmers union JA President Arnaud Gaillot instructed reporters.
Confederation Paysanne wrote on X: “Lastly Gabriel Attal talks about earnings!”
Professional-environment teams stated a change in the way in which pesticides could be measured would skew precise ranges, and a few protests are nonetheless deliberate earlier than and throughout the farm present.
($1 = 0.9262 euros)
