Agriculture: “agricultural sovereignty and generational renewal”, contained in the bill presented this Wednesday

Farmers demonstrating in Clermont-L'Hérault in February. Illustration Midi Libre – JEROME MOUILLOT

Farmers, who have been mobilized for months, are waiting for the government to turn the corner. This Wednesday, April 3, the draft guidance law for agricultural sovereignty and the renewal of generations in agriculture will be revealed. We take stock of what it contains.

The French government will present on Wednesday April 3 its bill "guidance for agricultural sovereignty and the renewal of generations in agriculture", a text eagerly awaited farm by farmers who have been protesting for several months.

The text, which initially provided for measures to help the installation of new farmers, was reworked to include measures on simplification and food sovereignty, while peasant discontent has broke out in France, and throughout Europe, at the start of the year.

"General interest"

One of the main points of the text thus concernsthe recognition of agriculture as a "major general interest of the French nation", in the same way as the defense of the environment, which will make it possible to give more weight for the agricultural sector in political decisions.

The measure was one of the government's promises announced to the peasant world in February when farmers multiplied roadblocks throughout France to protest in particular against unfair competition and price inflation. standards, particularly environmental.

Simplification and pesticides

The bill also contains several simplification measures and others intended to promote the attractiveness of the profession of & rsquo;farmer.

The thorny issue of pesticides is not addressed by the text, nor that of the Egalim system which governs commercial relations in the agricultural sector. At the beginning of February, the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, promised a "break" in the implementation of the Ecophyto 2030 plan, which aims to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030 compared to the 2015-2017 period in France.

Concerning Egalim, a dedicated law aimed at strengthening the weight of farmers in negotiations will be presented by summer.