French PM Lecornu promises new agriculture support measures in 2027 budget

Open letter and emergency law

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu published an open letter to farmers on Saturday, August 15, his third since the beginning of 2026. The first was sent in January "at the heart of agricultural anger," the second in May when the emergency law entered Parliament. The letter appeared the day after the Constitutional Council validated the bulk of the agricultural emergency law on Friday, August 14, including its controversial provisions on the derogatory reintroduction of banned pesticides, which the council deemed sufficiently framed, and on water management. Lecornu wrote that the law, adopted definitively by the National Assembly and the Senate on July 21, will be "promulgated without delay," and that the ministers concerned must "prepare without delay the necessary texts for its application."

The law, presented by the government in April, includes provisions for future projects to strengthen production capacity, stricter controls on imports based on the principle that what is forbidden to European producers should not return via imported products, more French and European products in collective catering, simplified rules on water storage, predation, livestock buildings and land, and tougher sanctions against thefts and intrusions. It also strengthens the position of farmers in commercial negotiations, on the principle that there is no food sovereignty without agricultural income. Lecornu described the law as "the fruit of demanding parliamentary work and a compromise in which everyone took part."

Drought response

Facing what Lecornu called an "early and severe drought," the prime minister stated that "the response must be rapid and strong," confirming aid already announced by Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard. Targeted envelopes will be placed at the disposal of prefects to support farm treasuries and production restart. Funds will be added for the public compensation scheme for losses, which will be "armed as much as needed." The most fragile farms may also benefit from reductions in property tax and social contributions.

2027 budget plans

The budget for 2027, to be presented at the end of September, will be the "occasion to propose to Parliament to vote on measures of support and investment" for the sector, Lecornu wrote. In the autumn, the finance bill will include a mechanism of "tax super-depreciation for agricultural future projects," along with measures to support hydraulic investments, continue adapting agriculture to climate change, and preserve the competitiveness of French sectors.

Political uncertainty

The prospects for these measures remain uncertain. Lecornu lacks a majority in the National Assembly to pass them, and the promises come months before the presidential election. The prime minister is preparing a confrontation with Parliament, writing that it will be for Parliament "to take its responsibility by giving a budget to the Nation, far from all political considerations linked to the upcoming electoral deadlines."

In his letter, Lecornu acknowledged that legislation alone cannot resolve the sector's problems.

A law does not fill a water reservoir, does not pay a bill, and does not, by itself, unblock a project. It is only worth what its application makes of it.

He called on the administration to "facilitate, unblock and respond, rather than slow down," and framed the sequence of his letters as a progression: "Winter was the time of alert. Spring, that of debate. This summer is that of decisions."