The most “catastrophic” wheat harvest in 40 years, exceptional aid for farmers to come?

The soft wheat harvest in France is experiencing a historic fall this year, the worst since 1983. The firm Argus Media announced Tuesday that production stood at only 25,17 million tonnes, marking a drop of 27% compared to the previous year and the average of the last five years.

Excessive and repetitive rains in spring have had a severe impact on French agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture, which will publish official estimates on Friday, has already mentioned the possibility of putting in place exceptional aid to support affected farmers. In Oise, the FDSEA estimates that farmers in Méry-la-Bataille lost between 30 and 40% of their harvest.

Philippe Carlier, a farmer in Méry-la-Bataille since 2017, observes his harvested fields with resignation. “In these plots, we have 40% losses. It's catastrophic, but we expected it. The excess water we had in the spring was painful, fertilization was bad. That’s 64 euros in losses. You'll have to find them somewhere. Fortunately, we're not just grain growers, so the cash is in the sheds. So if we have to sell cows, we will sell cows,” he explains.

Besides quantity, the quality of wheat is another crucial factor that influences its selling price. Olivier Varlet, from the FDSEA, emphasizes that the unions are currently negotiating to avoid penalties on the quality of wheat. “We are asking that cooperatives not put a penalty on the quality of wheat, that banks agree to defer annuities to the following year. Without this, some farmers might not make it,” he warns.

Agricultural unions are also calling for a deferral of social security contributions and a zero-interest loan for the farms most in difficulty. “We want to live from our work, not from aid,” insists Olivier Varlet, reflecting the feeling of many farmers in the face of this critical situation.

Faced with this crisis, agricultural unions have requested a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, scheduled for the coming days, to discuss the necessary support measures. The government must quickly respond to these concerns to avoid a worsening of the situation of French farmers.

Alice Leroy