To compensate for “colossal” production losses linked to the drought, ruminant farmers appealed to the state on Thursday, estimating that they needed “between 2 and 4 billion euros,” in a joint press release from several agricultural federations.
Due to the drought and several episodes of heat wave, the meadows are no longer green and the yields of maize, which is the basis of the feeding of farm animals, are reduced, pushing ruminant farmers (cows, goats, sheep…) to use their winter reserves to feed their livestock.
“According to the first calculations made”, several billion euros will be needed to compensate for additional expenses related to animal feed and production losses, warn several federations of ruminant breeders (FNB, FNEC, FNO and FNPL).
Reduce billing loss threshold
The representatives of the different sectors, who ask for “state support”, ask the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, to review the access and compensation thresholds of the agricultural catastrophe regime (co-financed by farmers and the State, and whose deadlines are considered too slow).
The federations are calling for the 13% billing loss threshold to be lowered and for the loss compensation threshold to be “substantially increased” to 28%.
Marc Fesneau announced on Monday measures aimed at relieving the actors in the agricultural world, among which an increase in the advance ceiling of CAP aid from mid-October stands out, which represents an allocation of 1,500 million euros.
But this progress in the payment of the CAP aid “is only a small beginning of a response to the magnitude of the disaster announced for the farmers”, believe the federations.
Source: BFM TV
