Medium mast production for cereals and wine, resumption of poultry, drop in prices: the main trends were known by French agriculture in 2024, but inscribe the figures in their provisional accounts published this Thursday, evaluation of a terrible year for the first European agricultural power. French agricultural production fell 8.8% value in 2024 after a 0.1% drop in 2023.
Prices fell 3.8 %, after -3.7 % the previous year. “In 2024, there was a drop in volumes by 5.2%, when they had increased by 3.7% in 2023,” said the National Statistics Institute. This follows years of ascent “in a context of exit of the health crisis and then the trigger for the war in Ukraine.” In detail, the fall is mainly due to the fall of volumes (-10%) and prices (-6.4%) of plant productions.
“Wine production is the most affected with a 28.8% drop in volume, all wine regions have undergone unfavorable climatic conditions, from flowering to harvest”, with a champagne record (-42.4%).
The situation of some farmers becomes “unbearable”
Summer electric táges and storms “Cereals also penalized, whose harvest would fall by 16.8%”, especially those of tender wheat (-27.3%), bread cereal. However, wheat crops, abundant worldwide, led to a price drop in markets, which particularly penalized French producers, victims of bad harvests.
In 2024, the production of animals increased slightly in volume (+0.7 %) thanks to the recovery of poultry (+12.9 %) after years of avian influenza and the increase in consumption. Pork production is recovering “slightly”, but those of cattle, sheep and goats continue its structural decline, amplified by the cold ovine fever. These data do not take into account subsidies, in particular the European limit, received by farmers and do not completely reflect their income.
“With such developments, the fall in production combined with a price drop in certain sectors and an increase in generalized positions, the situation of certain farmers, especially those most affected by climatic events or health problems, becomes unbearable,” the Fensea, the first agricultural union, which calls public authorities to “alarm” and acts through the PAC reacted, and acts through the PAC, the fight against the PAC. MERCOSUR
Source: BFM TV
