Seven EU Member States (including France and Poland), heavily affected by the consequences of the drought, have applied to the European Commission for a derogation to increase the rate of advances on 2019 direct aids under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from 50 to 70%.
Usually, when the conditions are met, the Commission can authorise Member States to pay an advance of 50% of CAP direct payments from 16 October, the beginning of the following year's budget year, instead of 1st December. However, these countries are asking to increase this advance to 70% due to the drought.
Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan assured MEPs in the European Parliament Agriculture Committee on 23 July that the Commission would give the green light to this derogation very soon. The French Minister of Agriculture, Didier Guillaume, would also like to allow the country's farmers to "cut grain crops" in order to feed animals and cope with drought. “It is prohibited by the European Commission. I'm going to fight all next week to get this”, he said. The Minister wants to trigger the "force majeure clause" allowing farmers to cut crops to feed their animals in the most affected departments. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)