“Overnight, it was all over. I cried as much as I could. » Émile Gardais, 22, has fond memories of his aborted installation project on a farm in Nanteuil. “I always wanted to be my own boss, not wait for orders,” explains the man who is originally from Verruyes and has a brother and a great-uncle in the profession.
In September 2022, he was hired part-time on a farm with 50 suckler cows, 95 hectares of cereals and 45 hectares of meadows. “A farmer, who had lost her husband, hired me to help her. She wanted to stop working and agreed that I would take over the farm afterwards. On a daily basis, I decided everything. »
“If I didn’t have the land, my project would no longer go to the bank”
Émile Gardais begins administrative procedures in March 2023. “I complete a first file, then a personalized professionalization plan, at the Chamber of Agriculture. It is used to present the project, the farm. »
The young man plans to keep the same number of cows. But, nothing goes as planned. “I am requesting authorization to operate, to obtain the land, in July. We already have to wait two months because the available land is published on the Internet. I learned, five days before the end of the publication, that my neighbors wanted to take back 32 hectares. »
At the same time, the owner announced that she wished to sell to these same neighbors. “But if I didn't have the land, my project would no longer go to the bank. » The latter “just passing” et had been validated in November 2023.
“It’s out of the question”
The Departmental Agricultural Orientation Commission (CDOA) is responsible for giving its opinion on the files submitted to the Departmental Territorial Directorate (DDT). “For her, we were both legitimate and she didn’t take a position straight away. They ended up ruling in my favor to take back the whole thing. »
Issue : “The transferor no longer wanted to wait and sell the cows. I told him that it was out of the question, that my project was no longer sustainable. » Alas, the farmer sells her animals on June 15. The operating authorization arrives on the 25th of the same month.
Economically impossible for Émile Gardais to buy new livestock. “This means no turnover in the herd, therefore no sale of animals and no cash flow. There was also a risk of disease outbreaks. »
At the same time, the owner entrusts the land and buildings to Safer. The young farmer, who until now kept his back and continued to manage day-to-day affairs, is leaving the farm for good on July 11, 2024. Since then, no buyer has reinvested in the farm.
The young breeder plans to take the steps again for a future installation in a year.
© (Photo NR, Camille Pain)
A new project
Since then, Émile Gardais has found two different employers, working part-time with each. He plans to relaunch an installation project, “in a year”on one of these two farms, in Saint-Georges-de-Noisné, following the retirement of the current operator.
If Émile Gardais wishes to move forward, the past could nevertheless have an impact on a future installation project: “On paper, I am based in Nanteuil. I made expenses, bought a tractor and a silage harvester, which are not selling due to the economic situation. I have 80,000 euros above my head. And the bank knows that. »
One year to complete the installation procedures
Before settling in, candidates must follow a marked route. “They first go through the Installation Reception Point, where a facilitator assesses the maturity of the project. Then, they meet an advisor at the Center for the Development of the Personalized Professionalization Plan (CEPP), who assesses their training and additional professional experience needs.explains Olivier Favrelière, director of the business and training department at the Chamber of Agriculture of Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres. “The future farmer then chooses an approved structure to support him: Civam, the chamber of agriculture or a management center. This whole process can take about a year. »
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