This Friday, September 1, the agricultural world of the Gard challenged parliamentarians in Nîmes on the hot issues of the summer and the start of the school year.
This Friday, September 1, around the president of the Gard Chamber of Agriculture, Magali Saumade, the representatives of the agricultural world alerted the parliamentarians present (Senators Bouad, Burgoa, MPs Berta, Meizonnet and Gillet) on the hot issues of the comeback.
Clearly, agriculture in the Gard is “a nugget in danger”the second economic pillar of the department with its 100,000 jobs, 4,522 farms (20% organic), €738 million in production value, 162,000 ha of useful agricultural area and more than 140 appellations!
Lighten the regulations
A weighty sector that deserves the full attention of the population, who can support it by consuming locally, and of its representatives, in this case the parliamentarians invited to this Friday’s meeting.
The president of the consular chamber summarized the objective of this one: “We live in a particular context of wine crisis, climatic vagaries, problems of irrigation, land, resale of fruits and vegetables. The chamber makes it possible to support farmers. We want there to be a lot of work to lighten the regulations, to promote the consumption of Gard products, to perpetuate our agriculture.”
Magali Saumade also did not hide her concern about the presence of the wolf in the department, which jeopardizes the future of pastoralism. She expects a lot from the new plan knowing that the wolf population has increased by 114% between 2018 and 2022 and the number of farms has decreased by 19% at the same time.
Heterogeneous harvest
But a large part of the remarks made at the Chamber of Agriculture this Friday focused on the wine crisis. The Gard, the third largest wine producer in Occitania, is facing, among other things, a difficult economic situation with a market that is unscrewing, a drop in sales of still wines of 15% for reds and 4% for white rosés in volume compared to the three-year average.
The 2023 harvest is heterogeneous since some sectors are off to a promising harvest but others have been strongly impacted by attacks of mildew (in the Cèze Valley, Rhône Valley, Sommiérois, Vaunage), by an upsurge in flavescence , grape worms (in Costières, Rhône Valley, Vins des Sables), which affects late varieties.
Winegrowers are asking parliamentarians for their support for the protection of the market, to change the image of wine, to obtain aid (grubbing up, storage, cash, tax), and do not wish to hear of tax increases (which could concern wine in the Social Security Finance Bill). Senators Bouad and Burgoa for their part indicated that it is not “no more talking time, let’s get down to business!”
Irrigable lands
Among the many issues discussed, that of agricultural irrigation, a problem of access to water that is close to the heart of Jean-Louis Portal, secretary general at the Chamber of Agriculture. The latter noted the disparities in the department this summer in the face of drought (the Cévennes Piedmont suffered more than others), which impacted fodder.
He campaigns for farmers to be able to have hill reservoirs, knowing that BRL cannot be the only solution. “We need basins to store rainwater, hydraulic facilities”. The profession opposes any confiscation of irrigable land. While the drought was less impactful than in 2022, the last heat wave dried out the soil and added stress to Gard farmers who don’t need it.
