Since Tuesday, senators in France have been examining the agriculture and fisheries modernisation law to try to ensure a decent income for farmers affected by the spectacular drop in revenues since last autumn.
The aim is to allow farmers to live off their work, something they are presently unable to do, causing huge protests by farmers all over France.
The project of law presented in March by the minister of agriculture Bruno Le Maire aimed to 'reinforce the competitiveness' of French agriculture, especially through the use of written contracts to manage relations between producers and companies downstream in the sector.
It also aims to encourage farmers to get private insurance for their production, as well as creating a national fund for risk management in agriculture. In addition, it makes stricter the rules on marking the origin of food products.
The senate will have until 26 May to examine the law before it is passed to the national assembly.
