Politics

PM GABRIEL ATTAL ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE MEASURES DURING PRESS CONF

TO CALM THE FRENCH FARMER’s ANGER

USPA NEWS - PM Gabriel Attal gave a press conference today at 12:30 p.m., accompanied by three of his ministers, Bruno Lemaire, Minister of Economy and Finance, Marc Fesneau Minister of Agriculture and Christophe Bechu, Minister of energetic transition. This coincides with the extraordinary European summit, on February 1, 2024, which has been taking place since this morning in Brussels, and where the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. “How to resist in a market that will undermine a jungle. How can we get our agriculture back to work when the standards appear in Europe? " declared the PM, by way of introductory remarks before announcing urgent measures and clarifying his working method, as well as a reminder of the accelerated agenda of recent days and his reactivity, ad hoc, since the ten days of growing protest by the French Farmers movement, cornered by poverty, the accumulation of contradictory standards, between the European Union and Nationals, incomes which are honestly too low (< minimum wage)
1- Responsiveness, from the start of the movement I initiated a dialogue with farmers with a clear aim of moving forward quickly
2- Dialogue I spent my time with the agricultural organization and Ministers Fesneau (Agriculture) and Bechu (Energy transition), and Listening to the farmers
3- Transparency, as soon as progress is possible I tell them, under my announcements of first changes and die
PM Attal continues, “Tuesday I announced student budgets, and yesterday morning I spoke again with the representatives of agriculture and with my ministers we want to move forward for them, with Mr Fesneau, (Minister of Agriculture with a clear and put of order, to produce and allow them to feed us” Prime Minster Gabriel Attal, Stated, at Matignon office, today before the few journalists, at the press conference.
DID WE MAKE MISTAKES?, YES, CONFESSED PM ATTAL

The Prime Minister concedes with humility that mistakes have been made in the past: “Did we make mistakes? YES "
“You have to have clarity, that's how I announced in Garonne the removal of the GNR tax, and I said stop with a simplification with the first 10 standards removed, and on the land and aid, everywhere we accelerate and frozen foods and last week we doubled the inspectors and controllers on prices for distributors who do not respect the EGALIM law.
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR OUR AGRICULTURE? PM GABRIEL ATTAL QUESTIONNING, AS HE ANSWERED HIMSELF YES !
“Since 2017, we have created harvest insurance, and the EGALIM law to get out of the law, LME of 2009, the Varenne of water and in the face of climatic disasters, in the face of frost, storms, etc.
?The Egalim 1 law dates from 2018, the Egalim 2 law from 2021 and the Egalim 3 law (also called the Descrozaille law) from 2023. This Egalim law is the law “for the balance of commercial relations in the agricultural and a healthy and sustainable diet". The PM insisted on the importance of sovereignty, which must be based on the rural code, as fundamental in the nation.

GNR TAX (NRG, Non Road Gaz, Diesel) INCREASE IS ONE THOF THE FARMERS ANGER

Non-road diesel (NRG) is a red-colored fuel designed to power the engines of non-road vehicles, mainly in the agricultural and construction sectors. (Buildings, Public works) ...
The use of RNG became widespread in Europe after the implementation of a European directive intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GNR is less polluting than conventional Diesel/Oil/Diesel fuel. However, the FAME that composes it makes it more prone to water conservation. It will retain water particles more easily and therefore has a shorter shelf life than other fuels. It is also less resistant to cold.
The planned increase in the taxation of non-road diesel (GNR), the fuel used in tractors, was one of the main reasons for the anger of farmers despite the concessions obtained to attenuate it by the main agricultural union of the country, the FNSEA.
FNSEA: National Federation of Agricultural Operators’ Unions. It is the largest Union of French Farmers (there are around 300, 000 French Farmers)
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On January 26, Gabriel Attal canceled the increase in the tax on non-road diesel (GNR) to try to appease the anger of farmers. Companies in the construction sector, major consumers of this fuel, are demanding similar treatment.
The PM continues: "We are going to include it in the Sovereign law, according to the rural code as fundamental in the nation.
We must take responsibility for helping our agriculture based on the French exception, that which allows us to produce.
PM Attal adds that he will oppose "all decreasing theses against the law of the jungle and the hazards that hit our agriculture in the face of climate change, ending that he wishes to "put an end to naivety and the arrival of rules Europeans."
Concerning the European Union's standards, seen as unfair and crushing by French farmers, PM Gabriel Attal responds "Europe must be protective and guarantor of sovereignty. While justifying itself in relation to the demands of farmers "We have made major progress, on fallow land the 10% of fallow land is imposed by the European Union, imposed by the CAP, (Common Agricultural Policy) of the CAP , defined in the European strategy "From farm to fork" and provided for this 10% of fall until in 2030. Gabriel Attal, ends with amine reassurance on the current discussion at the moment in Brussels about the Extraordinary European Summit, from the President of the republic, Emmanuel Macron, at the negotiating table on MERCOSUR. The timing is perfect to renegotiate the conditions of MERCOSUR, versus EU.
MERCOSUR IS A FREE TRADE ZONE CREATED IN 1991 BY BRAZIL, ARGENTINE, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY

MERCOSUR is a Southern Common Market, commonly abbreviated Mercosur (from the Spanish Mercado Común del Sur) or Mercosul (from the Portuguese Mercado Comum do Sul), is a free trade zone which brings together several countries in South America . Other countries on the continent are associated with Mercosur: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.

The EU-Mercosur agreement aims to become the largest free trade platform on the planet with nearly 780 million people affected and would cover between 40 and 45 billion euros of imports and exports.
This free trade treaty has been discussed for twenty-five years between the Latin American Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia) and the European Union, which is negotiating for the conclusion of a trade agreement since 1999. The final agreement was definitively adopted on June 28, 2019 with the conclusion of a political agreement, despite opposition from several countries.
The initial objective of this free trade zone is the economic development of its member countries. Mercosur has three main objectives:
1-Stimulate international trade.
2-Encourage internal economic development.
3-Maintain human rights and democracy within the country.
THE FARMERS' CRISIS IS DEEP WITH A PROTEST MOVEMENT OF 10,000 PROTESTERS AND 100 BLOCKAGE POINTS IN FRANCE
In the midst of a crisis in the agricultural world, France, with more than 100 blockade points and 10,000 demonstrators recorded this Wednesday, January 31.
France has made it known that it is opposed to concluding such an agreement with agricultural powers like Brazil or Argentina. The President For Emmanuel Macron, himself believes that the rules of the agreement “are not homogeneous with ours”.

PM GABRIEL ATTAL ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE MEASURES TO CALM FARMERS
The PM, Gabriel Attal, announces immediate measures in favor of the grievances of farmers who are still blocking access to Rungis, (the largest European food market, located around twenty km from Paris), close to Orly Airport. The farmers, for their part, had transmitted one hundred and forty grievances (140), via their local peasant federations (FNSEA), territorially to the head of the government, for more than ten days. Following the intervention of the PM, on Friday January 26, who went to Haute Garonne where he met Jerome Bayle, one of the leaders of the breeders protesting against the increase in the GNR tax. At the end of their meeting, PM Attal immediately announced the implementation of three measures: 1- stop with this trajectory of increase in the GNR”, 2- “simplification” of procedures. “We decided to put agriculture above everything else,” said the tenant of Matignon in the preamble. “You can't wait any longer, we received the message five out of five.'
IMMEDIATE MEASURES FEBRUARY 1, 2024
"1-Better recognition of the farming profession
2- Include agriculture in the Sovereign Plan in each sector and also in the French Overseas Territories (DOM TOM) in the face of climate change
3- Restore value, and I say NO to synthetic meat, with a clear designation of the EU. The origin labeling of products. Last week we had a victory over honey.
4- Reaching 50% organic products and in particular in canteens
4-Restore income to agriculture, by strengthening the EGALIM law, or even the EGALIM European law.
5-150 M Euros, tax aid in the agricultural sector
6- Count the best 25 years of reworking for retirement
5- Better protection against unfair competition, with safeguard clause measures.
6- Fight against fraud and no return to France of poultry from Ukraine, poultry and soon cereals,
7- Fight against unfair competition
“FREE, UNLOCK AND SIMPLIFY THE AGRICULTURAL SECTORS” RETE PM GARBIEL ATTAL

PM Gabriel Attal recalled that “The simplification project that I announced last Tuesday, the standards are currently being simplified among the prefects. The WATER Plan proposed by the President of the Republic. He recalls the need to “synchronize the French and European calendar for phytosanitary products, because some are used in other European countries, and banned in France. » He insists “there will be no ban without solutions” He then puts forward the figure of a sum of M€ 250 to identify new solutions based on the bans”
BRUNO LE MAIRE, MINISTER OF ECONOMY UNVEILS SHARP MEASURES OF CONTROLS FROM DGCCRF

The Minister of the Economy, Bruno, Lemaire spoke just after PM Gabriel Attal, who briefly made some notable announcements, in response to the growing anger of farmers, still under siege around Paris, and "Farmers will be not the adjustment value" said Bruno Lemaire in introduction to his announcements of urgent measures in his Ministry of Economy and Finance.

We are going to enter into massive contract controls
1- 150 agents from DGCCRF, (General Directorate of Competition and Repression of Fraud) will carry out checks and sanctions, throughout France, Multiple checks after two.
2- I250 controls, for industrialists and 4 procedures have already been launched since last Tuesday, against 4 industrialists for the need for contracts with farmers
3- All supermarkets, with 500 contracts, and their suppliers will be controlled, as well as the Distributor Brands, and raw materials
4- Control of French Origin of Products up to 10% of their turnover.
French law will apply rigorously outside of negotiations outside France,
5- This European initiative, for more control of European purchasing centers.
DGCCRF: Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression
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The DGCCRF will expand on European investigations with coordination with foreign counterparts. We have already done this and it was convincing at the request of the PM, we will launch an evaluation mission of EGALIM, with a sanctions report by spring.
Lift the brakes on agricultural exploitation, within the framework of the 2025 finance law” as listed by Bruno Lemaire, the Minister of the Economy.
All exemption thresholds of tolus value on the transmission of article 238, general tax code from 500,000 euros, to 1Million Euros have increased to 700,000
The inheritance rate, under article 793bis of the tax code, will also be increased to 600,000 Euros in the event of transfer of the farm to the youngest farmers. As well as transfer situations over long periods, and this will improve farmers' operations. The 50% GNR reimbursement window has been open since this morning, farmers can make the request this morning for reimbursement with a cash advance, for the GNR and the payment of which will be made over 10 to 15 days, following the announcement last Friday by PM Attal in Garonne.../
PM Gabriel Attal, French National Assembly
Source: French National Assembly
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