The Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard announced this Saturday morning a series of measures aimed at reducing “the balls” which, according to her, weigh on the sector, in a context of agricultural discontent, with new days of mobilization announced by the majority union, the FNSEA, for December 9 and 10. She did it on a farm in Sully-sur-Loire, in Loiret.
Ces “balls”, in his words, “have accumulated to the point of increasing the competitiveness of farms”she added, before listinga series of measuresincluding the creation of a “Guidance council for crop protection”.
The Orientation Council for Crop Protection created by decree
Created by decree, this Council, chaired by the minister and bringing together stakeholders including farmers, research institutes and manufacturers of phytosanitary products, will aim to “prioritize instruction” by the Health Security Agency (ANSES) requests for authorization of inputs, contributions to an agricultural plot intended to increase its yields, according to the needs of the agricultural sectors. It will therefore be a question for ANSES of moving to the top of the pile requests for placing certain products on the marketin order to meet the urgent needs of certain cultures.
“I think that the path towards less phyto is a path on which no one will return. It is an orientation which is adopted by everyone, politicians and the professionexplained Annie Genevard. But for the sectors which are in crisis, we need ANSES to prioritize its work to respond to it”.
Pedestrian cameras for agents of the French Biodiversity Office
Concerning the French Biodiversity Office, the director general must “immediately ensure the discretion of weapons in the event of an inspection, by using devices that allow them to be concealed. This is a major irritant” for farmers, according to Ms. Genevard. The weapons will therefore have to disappear from the sight of the operators. The organization which ensures an environmental policing role will also be provided with pedestrian cameras for its agents. The Minister of Agriculture assured that the gradual deployment of these cameras will be done “on an experimental basis. Generally, this allows, as we see with firefighters and police officers, to reduce tension.”
Another measure was announced this Saturday morning in Loiret, in this case “a circular to prefects to optimize the instruction capacities of breeding projects, to shorten deadlines and favor educational controls for recent settlers”. The dates for agricultural work will be set at the local leveland a measure will prevent the same paper from being requested several times by administrations.
Annie Genevard plans to see the unions again “before Christmas”
The Minister of Agriculture plans to review the unions “before Christmas” for a new “meeting of simplification, which I would even be tempted to call the meeting of common sense”. She assures that her objective is to “to overcome, methodically, all the obstacles to production”.
The simplification of administrative procedures is one of the main demands of the farmers' movement, led these days by agricultural unions. Around ten operators were present this Saturday morning in a very cordial atmosphere, including representatives of Young Farmers and the FNSEA. Elected officials were also therelike Constance de Pélichy, various right-wing MP for the 3rd constituency of Loiret, in which the operation is located, as well as Thomas Ménage, MP for the National Rally of Montargois, 4th constituency of the department.
Clément Viron
