Drought. At least 11 departments should benefit from the agricultural disaster scheme

Farmers in 11 departments will benefit from rapid compensation for agricultural disasters for the damage caused by the summer drought, particularly in livestock, the National Committee for Risk Management in Agriculture (CNGRA) announced on Tuesday.

Even if the reconnaissance campaign only ends « at the end of October », the Committee has identified areas for which the losses observed make them already eligible for agricultural disasters, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a press release. .

These areas identified in and around the Massif Central cover 11 departments – Ardèche, Aveyron, Cantal, Drôme, Loire, Haute-Loire, Lot, Lozère, Puy-de-Dôme, Rhône and Tarn – and may « be subject to initial recognition on the basis of a provisional loss rate ».

Installment payments at the beginning of November

Advance payments will be “initiated at the beginning of November for these prioritized areas, as the files are examined”, indicated the ministry. « This significant acceleration of the calendar for the fodder areas most affected by the drought will allow a first crucial cash injection for the benefit of the most affected livestock farmers ».

The ministry thus hopes « to avoid uncontrolled decapitalization », that is to say to prevent breeders from selling their livestock en masse that they can no longer feed, for lack of grass harvested during the summer or lack of capital to buy food for them.

The committee met on Tuesday to rule on requests for recognition as agricultural disasters of the various climatic hazards that occurred at the start of 2022.

« Taking into account the first surveys carried out on July 6, the CNGRA also confirmed that it recognized as agricultural disasters the damage linked to the frost of April 2022 in a total of 27 departments ».

Farmers in these departments will receive provisional compensation which will amount to a total of 76.3 million euros, said the ministry, “mainly in arboriculture”.

The Garonne valley, the Dordogne, certain eastern regions, the north of the Aquitaine region had been particularly affected.

« Regarding the hailstorms of May and June, 11 departments were recognized as agricultural disasters, for loss of funds (means of production), for an amount of 1.8 million euros in provisional compensation », added the Ministry.

A new meeting of the CNGRA is scheduled for December, to « determine the final rates for the departments most affected » by the drought.