“Let’s make sure to get organic farmers out of the mess they’re in, and then we can set ambitious goals,” insists Arnaud Rousseau. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
The new president of the FNSEA believes that the current plan of 10 million euros is not “up to par” and would not make it possible to get out of the crisis.
Great words, great remedies. Faced with the unprecedented crisis affecting organic farming, the executive had urgently drawn 10 million euros. A sum “not up to the challenge“, according to Arnaud Rousseau, the new president of the FNSEA. For the newly elected agro-industrialist at the head of the first French agricultural union, an amount five to ten times higher than that put on the table last January by the Minister of Agriculture Marc Fresneau would be needed. We need an aid planaround 50 to 100 million euros“, he believes.
«It is urgent to help organic producers who are currently in major difficulty“, Hammered Arnaud Rousseau this Friday at the microphone of France Info. For the president of the FNSEA, it takes a “plan massifto help organic farmers, like those implemented previously. Two years ago, 300 million euros were granted to winegrowers hit by the frost, and last year, 270 million were allocated to pig farmers.
An unattainable goal as it stands
The inflationary context contributes greatly to the crisis in the organic sector. With food inflation at 16.3%, consumers prioritize price over quality. Organic products are therefore neglected because “the greener it is, the more expensive it is», Recognizes Arnaud Rousseau. Hence the mismatch between French organic production and consumer demand. So to put an end to the serious economic difficulties and the risk of deconversion of organic farmers, we must “correlate market to demand“, insists the president of the FNSEA. “Let’s get organic farmers out of the mess they’re in, and then we can set ambitious goals».
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Because the French objective is to reach 18% of agricultural areas in organic by 2027. However, the organic sector today occupies only 10% of the French Useful Agricultural Area (UAA). “SIf we want to achieve this objective, the products must be sold, consumers must buy these products», stresses Arnaud Rousseau. Currently, organic products represent only 6% of French consumption. A market of 13 billion euros which could still decrease due to inflation and growing doubts about the sector, recognizes Agence Bio in a press release. “Sif the French want quality food of French origin on their plates – which is less and less the case – then you have to accept to pay the price“Bitterly observes Arnaud Rousseau.