French farmers confront erosion mandates and severe drought

The FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs unions in Seine-Maritime (FNSEA 76 and JA 76) held an information meeting on 16 July in Angerville‑l'Orcher to discuss alternatives to a prefectural erosion order affecting the Le Havre peninsula. The order targets potato cultivation and meadow tillage, and the unions, together with the Chamber of Agriculture, DDTM 76, Le Havre Seine Métropole and the water agency, are seeking ways to curb soil erosion while preserving agricultural production.

In the Pyrénées‑Atlantiques, FDSEA 64 leaders—Corinne Nousty, Damien Coustille‑Cossou, Sylvain Laborde and Guy Estrade—warned that successive heatwaves since May have caused unprecedented yield losses, ranging from 80 quintals per maize plot to complete loss of pastures, vineyards and orchards. They fear farm bankruptcies, factory closures and food shortages, blaming decades‑long delays in water‑retention infrastructure and citing the rapid water‑storage projects completed by neighboring Spain and Portugal with EU funding.