The French government lifts the ban on plant protection products and reduces the tax burden on farmers by 150 million euros

(Photo: Unsplash)

The protesting French agricultural unions have published around two hundred demands in recent days. The French government will allocate 150 million euros “starting this year and on a permanent basis” for measures aimed at reducing the tax burden on agricultural producers”, the French Prime Minister promised at a press conference held in his office. It sets targets for reduction, which is one of the main demands of farmers. The government’s Ecophyto program aims to cut the use of pesticides in half by 2030. “We are suspending the program while we revise some aspects to simplify it,” said Marc at the press conference Agriculture Minister Fesneau. The government also wants to prevent the importation into France of fruits and vegetables that have been treated with the active ingredient thiacloprid, which is banned in the European Union. The prime minister also called for “clear European-level legislation to define what synthetic meat is” , which is produced from animal tissue cells and is not authorized in Europe.

Italy banned the production and sale of synthetic meat in November

Gabriel Attal also called for negotiations on the issue of limiting Ukrainian grain imports to the European Union.

So far, the EU has not added cereals to the list of “sensitive” products whose import can be restricted. Almost a week after his first announcements to farmers, the prime minister also promised to strengthen the current law protecting farmers’ income in the fierce price war between supermarket chains, distributors and agribusinesses. Meanwhile, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced that “all the big supermarket chains will be checked in the coming days”. “The more than 10,000 inspections will check the French origin of the products,” the head of the ministry emphasized. Gabriel Attal also promised to raise the tax exemption thresholds for agricultural inheritances. We want to be sovereign, to grow, harvest and feed ourselves in a sovereign way – said the Prime Minister. Farmer demonstrations have been going on for two weeks in France, where protesters have set up blockade points on strategic routes. MTI