France Announces Drought Compensation for Livestock and Crop Insurers

The French Ministry of Agriculture has announced new measures to compensate farmers affected by the severe drought and heatwaves of 2024. An inter‑ministerial decree published on 31 July modifies the crop‑insurance scheme, allowing insurers to pay advances of up to 80 % of the projected National Solidarity Indemnity (ISN) to insured growers whose yields have fallen by more than 30 %.

At the same time, livestock federations (FNB, FNPL, FNO and FNEC) have pressed the government for urgent field assessments by prefects to evaluate pasture loss for ruminant herders. The ministries have pledged to launch these expertises and to consider emergency compensation for the unprecedented grass‑growth deficit that has left many herders without sufficient feed.

The measures aim to accelerate financial support for both crop and livestock sectors, which have reported a surge in claims – roughly one‑third of insured farmers have already filed heat‑related loss reports.