Farmers refusing to pay back grants

FRUIT and vegetable farmers have come to a stalemate with the Agriculture Ministry over whether or not they should pay back subsidies paid between 1992 and 2002.

The EU has ordered that farmers should pay back €500m in grants which Brussels deems the French government should not have given because it breaches competition rules.

The ministry says the farmers will have to comply, while farmers’ representatives say they have no intention of paying up. Farmers’ unionists came out of a meeting with Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire (pictured) repeating: “We will not pay.”

Mr Le Maire said the government is looking at ways to ease the burden on the farmers, including cuts in social charges and a new publicity campaign to boost sales of fruit and vegetables.

The money was paid to help farmers cope better with the uncertainties of bad weather and poor crops.

Photo: Bruno Le Maire