Deputies and senators have reached an agreement on a common version of the text. "We were able to find our way around the essentials: the installation of young people, the preservation of the family farming model, the fight against the excessive concentration of land", declared the rapporteur for the Senate Olivier Rietmann (LR), welcoming "a real victory for the agricultural sector".
The "emergency" text by LREM deputy Jean-Bernard Sempastous targets land transfers via company shares. These companies now own nearly two-thirds of the useful agricultural area.
This bill is "very important, but should only constitute the first floor of this land review that we are calling for," said Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie.
The text provides for subjecting to administrative authorization transfers of social titles that lead to the takeover of companies holding or operating agricultural land in order to fight against excessive concentration or land grabbing. “Significant expansion” thresholds will be set by the regional prefects.
The battle around these thresholds has been close, with senators wanting to "target excessive trading."
The "floor" threshold triggering the control of disposals was finally raised to 1,5 times the average regional useful agricultural area. The “significant expansion” threshold will thus be between 1,5 and three times the average regional useful agricultural area (Saurm), against an interval between one and three times in the initial text.
The departmental prefect will be responsible for conducting the control procedure.
With regard to exemptions, intra-family transfers have been extended up to the 4th degree inclusive, which makes it possible to include first cousins. Transmissions between long-time associated operators have been permitted, but controlled.
The text was adopted by 249 votes in favor (LR groups, centrist, RDPI with a majority En Marche, RDSE with a radical majority and Independents). PS and environmentalists voted against and the majority-communist CRCE group abstained.
Christian Redon-Sarrazy (PS) has "disowned" a text that has become "more liberal" after his passage in the Senate.
For the FNSEA and Young Farmers unions and the chambers of agriculture, the outcome of the bill marks "an important step in the fight for access to land for young people". It "will not be enough to restore stability, moderation and security in the agricultural land market", however, they estimated in a statement, affirming to "firmly await the great land law during the next five-year term".