One year after storm Ciaran, “nothing has changed”, denounces the GAB of Finistère

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« 180 contributors, individuals and professionals, made it possible to collect 24 000 € “. Launched by the GAB, the group of organic farmers, after storm Ciaran, which caused big damage in Finistère, the prize pool has just been paid to 9 beneficiaries. Rather than scattering its amount, the GAB has chosen to help market gardens“the agricultural system most impacted by the storm”, and farmers installed since less than 3 years old, therefore having little cash flow.

A pot for market gardeners

On November 8, Manu Bué, vegetable technician at GAB, and Jérôme Le Pape, water and territory development manager, went to Eve Herry to give her a check for 2 830 euros. Based in Gouesnou, the market gardener lost 3 of its 4 tunnels, during the storm. The prize pool allowed him tobuy tarpaulins to cover her tunnels, which she bought second-hand. “The total amount, for repair, replace and reassemble the tunnels, was €12,000,” calculates the young woman.

« Help granted by the State were not not suitable to organic market garden farms,” recall Jérôme Le Pape and Manu Bué. “And they only arrived at the end of February, when the market gardeners, if they wanted to be able to resume work and ensure planting, had to react quickly.”

Damage still visible

Immediately after storm Ciaran, 150 farms in Finistère reported damage to the GAB. A year later, the latter wanted to know where they were. “Among the 119 farms that responded to our new survey, 52% did not find the same state than before the storm”, indicates the GAB, listing means of production still damagedincluding a majority of tunnels, work to be carried out on buildings and roofs, trees still on the ground, fences to repair, etc.

75 of these farms requested aid, for cash flow or investment. “If 53 of them received the requested aid, 17 are still waiting for it and 5 will not receive them ».

Farms will adapt

Another lesson from the survey: more than a third of respondents indicate that they feel fatigue, even very tired for a year. And a quarter feel anxiety, fear or anger.

Worried facing the future, many are wondering about the power and frequency of climatic phenomena: drought, storm and rain. Among the answers they will provide, they intend to planter trees and embankments which will serve as windbreaks, to opt for more resistant material and more suitable varieties, to move structures to less exposed land…

Nothing has changed

“A year after this storm, the cursors have not really moved. If a similar disaster occurs, the aid measures are still not available. not optimized or improved », notes the GAB, which requests a revision of the de minimis ceilings, the aid ceiling per farm, to at least €50,000, of the deadlines for implementing aid faster. “It is also necessary change the insurance mode market garden tunnels. And predict psychological support for the farmers who have been traumatized.”

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