"The government is not abolishing Agence Bio", declared French Minister of Agriculture and food sovereignty Annie Genevard earlier this week. On January 17th, the French senate adopted an amendment by Senator Laurent Duplomb proposing to abolish Agence Bio and transfer its tasks to FranceAgriMer or the Ministry of Agriculture.
"The government is not abolishing Agence Bio.
Support for organic farming is one of my ministry's major policies, with €180 million [188 million USD] of funding each year. And I personally feel very strongly about the organic sector.
What needs to be questioned is the..."pic.twitter.com/A2zHnXekTO
- Annie Genevard (@AnnieGenevard) January 27, 2025
"The government is not abolishing Agence Bio, which I would remind you acts on behalf of the State. The government has not given a favorable opinion to the proposal to abolish it voted by the senate during the budget review," Annie Genevard explained to AFP.
© Agence Bio
"What needs to be questioned is the proliferation of organizations involved in organic farming, most of which receive government funding and some of which carry out identical missions. I have counted several dozen of them. Is this a guarantee of efficiency at a time when the ailing sector needs effective synergies? I believe this is a legitimate question to ask.
The tabling of the amendment triggered a number of reactions from the sector, from both organic trade unions and professional organizations.
The statement by the minister earlier this week was welcomed by FNAB, FOREBio, and Synabio in a joint press release. However, the organizations said that "although the government's change of heart is seen as positive by all those involved in the organic sector, the government is not present at the joint committee meeting. The sector is therefore asking its parliamentary groups to confirm their position by opposing the amendment abolishing Agence Bio."