Press release from Young Farmers and FDSEA of Gers:
“The catastrophic situation of our agricultural yield results this year has led our union organizations Fdsea du Gers and Jeunes Agriculteurs du Gers to ask the Prefect of the department for relief at the level of the TFNB, one of the rare levers in the hands of the territories to contribute to crisis support.
After having stabilized an agreement with the Departmental Prefect on a relief formula adapted by production (viticulture, field crops, meadows, arboriculture), we learned with astonishment today that the final arbitration of the Regional Prefect has come to undermine the local agreement yet anchored in realities on the ground which cannot escape anyone.
We denounce with the greatest anger the blindness of a regional administration which makes “harmonization for harmonization’s sake” a result criterion. We walk on our heads. The average regional situation DOES NOT EXIST. Making decisions on fictitious situations has NEVER allowed us to stick to the stubborn realities of our operations.
Our disappointment is immense, commensurate with the difficulties of the farmers in this department who are bearing the brunt of the triple penalty, that of the combination:
– That of the unprecedented cumulative effect of the entire range of meteorological and climatic hazards that farmers fear;
– That of the sclerosis of a French administration stuck, from the local level to the ministries, in regulations and reasoning focused on procedure, instead of being concerned above all with the desired result;
– That of the irresponsibility of political decision-makers, who support farmers, like more than 80% of French people, but who have so far not matched their words with action. Finally, it is the confidence in the mission of the departmental prefects which, by such decisions, is clearly undermined.
We take note of the announcements:
– 30% TFNB relief for meadows
– 50% TFNB relief for arborists
– 50% TFNB relief for large crops
– 80% TFNB relief for viticulture
– Additional relief of 20% for municipalities recognized as having a natural disaster (except meadows)
The scale of the agricultural crisis we are going through must be adequately supported and we reiterate our request for 100% relief.
Cutting back on these reductions cannot be seen as anything other than contempt.”
Young Farmers and Fdsea du Gers serving our territory
