Les difficultés financières des agriculteurs européens

Résumé En Fr

Financial difficulties faced by European farmers. The policy of rapid modernization of a large fringe of European agriculture has led to an unprecedented development of farm production and labour productivity. Nonetbeless, over the last décade a large number of f armers hâve found themselves in financial difficulties. This no longer only concerns f armers in precarious situations la- boriously subsisting on small unit s of production. At the same time as such small unit s are disappearing, young f armers on medium-sized and large farms, who hâve often be- nefited from modernization subsidies, are also running into trouble. This phenomenon became, during the eighties, a problem of agricultural policy for several countries in Northern Europe. In order to evaluate, among the low-income f armers, how many hâve extrême financial difficulties, an examination of individual situations becomes necessary. Based on the si- multaneous analysis of a ratio of financial autonomy and a mesasurement of income or self-financing, this examination shows that financial fragility is no longer a marginal phenomenon and that the farmers in question are often very well-equipped. The crisis has hit Denmark particularly badly since more than half the farms hâve had financial difficulties. In comparison with Denmark, the problems in other countries seem less acute. Thus, in Ireland, the proportion of farmers in difficulty was never more than 9 % even tvhen the crisis bit deepest (1980). In more récent years (1986-1988), the proportion has varied between 14% and 29 % in the countries under study : France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In order to help their farmers in difficulty, most states hâve had to intervene on either a short or longer term basis. Assistance usually takes the form of the goverment covering part of the interest payments on the loans contracted by the farmers, or, more rarely, a guarantee by the public authorities on the banking loans. Assessment of the effectiveness of such assistance, carried ont in some of the countries involved, shows that greater financial viability is always a resuit of improved performance of the farms. Public aid has a bénéficiai effect when it atténuâtes excessive financial charges but is inappropriate when it holds up the restructuring of unproductive farms. In light of thèse findings, the policies of systematic économie assistance to debt-ridden farms hâve everywhere been cal- led into question. Only sélective aid for farms faced with adaptation difficulties seem to be worth maintaining.

Les difficultés financières touchent actuellement une fraction notable des agriculteurs de plusieurs pays de la Communauté économique européenne. Dans certains d'entre eux, des mesures d'aide spécifiques ont été prises. L'article dresse un panorama des problèmes rencontrés et des dispositions mises en oeuvre dans cinq pays : Danemark, Irlande, France, Pays-Bas et Royaume-Uni. Il met l'accent sur la diversité des modes d'évaluation utilisés et propose un schéma rendant compte de l'apparition et de la persistance des difficultés. Le rythme accéléré de modernisation qu'a connu l'agriculture européenne au cours des années 70 et le processus d'adaptation auquel elle est confrontée aujourd'hui jouent un rôle central dans le phénomène observé.