French agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire has promised emergency aid to the tune of “several millions of euros” for the country’s ailing fresh produce sector.
The announcement goes some way to placating angry growers who have waged a campaign against “cheap foreign imports” in recent weeks, including overturning trucks and storming a Spanish consulate.
Le Maire unveiled plans during a visit to fruit cooperative Ille Fruits in the stonefruit-producing Pyrénées-Orientales area in the south of the country.
“Thousands of producers in France are on the brink of going bust and they need immediate help to get through what is a calamitous period,” he said.
Growers are also set to obtain some relief with their statutory business costs while banks will also be urged to take a more flexible line over the scheduling of loan repayments in the wake of the E.coli crisis.
Le Maire also promised tougher sanctions against fraud in the sector and in particular the practice of some wholesalers of obtaining supplies illegally in order to sell fruit and vegetables at lower prices. The French authorities are also intensifying action to track down trucks transporting shipments without a purchase order.
The precise details of the aid will be presented on 7 September when Le Maire announces a strategic plan in favour of the sector and which is likely to make provision for structural changes.
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