In ten years, 26% fewer farms, while full-time employees have dropped to 750.000: these are the numbers of the crisis that is sweeping the agricultural sector in France, according to the census carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture.
France had, in 2010, 490.000 farms, against 663.000 registered in 2000. Data from the ministry reveal, however, that the pace of this decline has slowed down slightly compared to the previous decade (-3% per year against -3,5, XNUMX %).
The causes: the crisis of classic, medium-small farms, based on the "polyculture-breeding" model in favor of large companies.
The only sector that has shown growth, albeit slight, is the cereal one, while breeding has gone into a particularly crisis, especially the small cattle and milk farms, which have practically disappeared according to data from the transalpine ministry, always in favor of large farms.
Consequences? In the last ten years, the average surface area for each company has grown by 13 hectares, reaching 55 in 2010. But one company out of four hopes for 82 hectares, while 10% even exceed 143.
As far as employment is concerned, the drop is 22%, for a total of almost one million workers, of which, however, only 750.000 full-time.
In truth, however, the data relating to the French agricultural crisis (-26% of farms) are in line with the average of other European countries, including Italy (-24%) and Holland (-29% ), while the response from Germany is more drastic: -36%.
Read the news on Le Monde
