Already faced with high school student mobilizations and against the high cost of living, the government fears "the season of agricultural anger"

An envelope of 500 to 700 million euros for a 2027 agricultural recovery plan: the announcement was made on Thursday October 15, a sum which is added to the billion euros in emergency measures released a few months ago. This is funding to deal with drought, heatwaves and the rise in fuel and fertilizer prices after the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

But these measures may not be enough. This is the fear on the part of the executive, which has been dreading for several weeks the consequences of the scorching summer which has just ended: the land difficult to turn, the lack of fodder for the animals, the cash flow difficulties to buy seedlings after the winter... At the top of the State, everyone knows that the season of agricultural anger begins at least in November: this is the moment when the farmers find the invoices placed on their desk, "the moment, they say in Matignon, where some are psychologically decompensating."

“We must respect the reasons of farmers”

Matignon therefore fears the despair of farmers overwhelmed by their debts. The figure of 20,000 to 30,000 farms in difficulty is circulating. In all sectors, many are asking themselves the question of stopping, even when it comes to family farms. The issue of mental health in agriculture is taken very seriously. There are around 300 suicides per year in this profession. Hence these messages sent regularly since the end of August by Sébastien Lecornu, messages which rarely make the headlines but, as the Prime Minister often repeats, "agriculture cannot wait for the presidential election."