On Wednesday 28 February, the government increased the new emergency fund to 90 million euros aimed at helping certified organic farmers in trouble, while maintaining the objectives of the transformation in the sector without pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
The fund, which must still be approved by the European Commission, is in addition to 104 million euros of aid paid in 2023 to operators in the sector who have suffered two years of sluggish consumption in a context of high inflation.
“The Prime Minister posed (end of January) The basics of a 50 million euro fund and we will (the) Increase to the tune of 90 million euros », Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, announced at the Salon de l’Agriculture. The idea is to send to the farmers “We have a recorded message that problems persist”, adds his office. They will be able to submit the request when Brussels approves it in March or April, hopes the ministry, which is counting on payment by the end of June.
Farms deriving at least 85% of their turnover from organic products and experiencing a gross operating surplus or turnover reduction of at least 20% are eligible.
The fund sidesteps the demands of the National Federation of Organic Agriculture (FNAB), which calls for a plan. “corresponding to the losses suffered by the sectors, i.e. more than 250 million euros per year for two years”.
“brake on”
Earlier in February, the organization expressed its feelings of being one of the big losers in the recent farmers’ mobilization. In addition to the inadequacy of emergency funding, she criticizes numerous government announcements, particularly on pesticides, which she sees as “Environmental Regression”.
After several years of steady growth, prices began to decline in 2021, competing with labels with more expensive and less demanding criteria or local products. In-store sales fall 5% in 2022. “It’s a small reversal of trend that we hope will be temporary.”, declared Jean Verdier, President of the Organic Agency. The latest barometer of this public body responsible for promoting the sector, published on Wednesday, shows that “A break in the food transition”.
Health and environmental concerns, until now the main motivation for organic consumption, are taking less importance in the minds of the 4,000 French people surveyed, who, according to this barometer, value the pleasure of food more.
“We feel the fatigue of consumers who no longer turn packages to read labels”, estimates Lori Verdeau, director of the Organic Agency. The upcoming promotional campaign, according to him, should, “Focus on emotional charge and closeness”.
From organic to menu
Figures for 2023 are not yet available, but some movement in the sector is feared “Change” Organic farmers, who now conventionally cover 10.7% of the usable agricultural area in France. For organic milk, for example, production is set to fall 4% in 2023 after nearly doubling from 2017, noted Pascal Le Brun, president of La Cooperation Latière, on Monday. A third of organic milk is currently sold by the conventional sector. For Samuel Bulot, Vice President, National Federation of Milk Producers, “It would be a real failure to run out of organic milk in a few years”.
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The goal to allocate 18% of agricultural land to organic farming in 2027 is still pending, says Mark Fessino’s office. “If we are pragmatic, we can clearly see that 2024 will be a year of consolidation before a plateau and then a new upward start”, we add. With this in mind, the government also presented the ambitious Organic 2027 program on Wednesday, around three axes: stimulating demand, integrating organic sectors, supporting farmers to tackle social and environmental issues.
The government specifically wants to encourage canteens and health institutions to reach the 20% organic supply required by the EGalim law and encourage restaurants to add organic to their menus.
