A report of an eight week Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship
France
General Farming
France is one of the largest and wealthiest countries in Europe and is the world's second largest exporter of agricultural products, after the USA. French culture is strongly linked to food, agriculture and, to some extent, hunting. A country of proud peasant farmers, it has been a major player in the development and shaping of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy since its inception in 1957. Unlike the UK France has a very strong agricultural and hunting lobby group; and a relatively weak nature conservation lobby. This is not to say that many French farmers and hunters do not regard themselves as conservationists. Farmers unions are perceived as being an action-oriented lobby that is resistant to change and the imposition of central legislation.
The farm businesses that I visited were generally small mixed units of around 100 animals, with part dairy and part beef. With farmers over 60 years of age unable to claim subsidies there were many more young farmers and local breeds and closed herds were generally favoured. French farmers are supported with a very complicated system of payments, in a similar way to those in the UK; there is an extensification scheme which is meant to encourage farmers to graze less cattle over a wider area.
Government Structure
Government departmental structure is such that there is a "Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development" which implements nature conservation policy through local DIREN ("Regional Directorates of the Environment") offices. DIREN officers work with local Government offices, farmers unions, hunters, NGOs and other stakeholders to try and achieve sustainable management of ecological resources using an incentive (carrot), rather than legislative (stick) approach. As with the UK, France uses so called "agri-environment" payments to support farmers who manage land for wildlife and landscape interests such as wetlands. However, the scheme is administered by the "Ministry for Agriculture, Food, Fishing and Rural Businesses" and not the "Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development" . The two departments are having to learn to work effectively to deliver farming that is sustainable in terms of both economics and biodiversity.
Conservation Legislation
France does not have primary legislation, such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to protect wildlife sites that are under private ownership. The French take a regionally, or locally managed, bottom up approach to achieving nature conservation and sustainable development. France has many internationally important wetlands along the Atlantic Coast, most of which are important sites for breeding, wintering and migrating wildlife in Europe. Yet France seems to struggle with implementing the European legislation that is meant to protect these sites. This is highlighted in the European Commission's Environment web pages (click for info).
Agri-environment Schemes
French agri-environment schemes were first introduced in 1998 or 1999 and was known by the acronym CTE which basically translates as "farm area contract". CTE was very popular with farmers, who were responsible for developing their own applications and, in wetland areas, might have a choice of 12 options and 40 to 50 different prescriptions. According to conservationists, Farmers would choose options and prescriptions that suited them by minimising the need to change. There was limited ecological targeting within landscapes or agreements. The complex scheme was regarded as difficult to administer and conservationist were disappointed with the lack of ecological gains. As well as CTE there is another scheme called "prime à l'herbe", which is focussed on specific areas; such as unique wetlands and mountain areas, where there is a large amount of community owned land managed through cooperative syndicates of farmers.
Whilst I was in France a new agri-environment scheme, known as CAD, was in development and I was lucky enough to be able to attend farmer consultation meetings where the scheme was discussed. CAD is an acronym for "Contrat d'Agriculture Durable" which translates as "Contract for sustainable farming". Farmers are not so happy with the CAD as it is more targeted and thus asks them to deliver more. French agri-environment schemes involve 5 year agreements and, unlike the UK schemes, they are only aimed at those who are actively farming and between the age of 18 years old and retirement. The aim is to support those working in agriculture rather than those just investing in it.
A separate scheme administered by the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development is available for non-agricultural land such as reedbed and woodland.
Nature Reserves
France has many small sites designated as Nature Reserves known as "Réserves Naturelles". These are usually managed by Non Governmental Organisations or the "Conservatoire du littoral" (a French version of the National Trust but focussed on aquatic wildlife sites rather than buildings). Reserve management is funded by government, through the DIREN, via an approved, costed management plan. There are two aspects to the funding outlined within the plan and agreed with the DIREN: These being, firstly, running and maintenance costs and, secondly, special projects and capital works costs (click for more information). The reserves that I visited involved working with local farmers; mostly using them as licensed graziers . One involved employing a local farmer as a part time stockman and the other involved selling them grass on an annual basis.