France will spend more than \u20ac1 billion to support farmers affected by a summer of severe heat and drought, Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Friday. <\/p>\n
The package aims to compensate farmers for their losses, prevent bankruptcies and ensure that agricultural production gets back on track, in particular to enable the purchase of seeds and fodder, the minister said, Politico<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n Between 30,000 and 35,000 farms, or about 10 per cent of French farms, \u201care in a precarious situation or at risk of becoming so,\u201d Genevard warned.<\/p>\n Three schemes account for the bulk of the government\u2019s spending under the new plan.<\/p>\n France<\/a> will speed up payments under its \u201cnational solidarity\u201d scheme designed to compensate for crop losses. It will be topped up to a total of \u20ac520 million, provided the country’s 2027 budget is duly adopted.<\/p>\n An \u201cagricultural recovery fund\u201d of \u20ac235 million aims to provide targeted support for the hardest-hit and most vulnerable farms across the produce, cereal and livestock sectors.<\/p>\n Finally, a targeted tax relief scheme on unbuilt land will cut \u20ac330 million in tax revenue for the state. The government is also considering extending a program helping farmers to purchase fertilizer and non-road agricultural diesel.<\/p>\n Genevard also suggested that the retail sector could “play its part” by keeping price rises in check.<\/p>\n Part of her plan is already funded for this year, but more cash will need to be allocated in next year’s budget, which is set to be presented by Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu at the end of September.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is new money,\u201d Genevard said. Lecornu recently\u00a0promised\u00a0a tax depreciation scheme for \u201cprojects aimed at the future of agriculture,\u201d alongside other measures to \u201ccontinue adapting agriculture to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government is also expected to set out the details of a broader \u201crecovery plan\u201d for farmers, with key measures to be included in the 2027 budget.<\/p>\n