The water pricing reform worries farmers using irrigation connected to drinking water. Senator Dominique Estrosi Sassone is alerting authorities to avoid negative consequences on local agriculture.
Since January 1st, the water pricing reform has come into effect. It changes user contributions by introducing new fees and removing some old ones. This evolution aims to strengthen the polluter-pays principle and to rebalance the costs among different water consumers. However, its consequences worry irrigating farmers connected to drinking water.
In response to these concerns, the Senator for Alpes-Maritimes, Dominique Estrosi Sassone, has addressed the Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, as well as the Director General of the Rhône-Mediterranean Water Agency, Nicolas Mourlon. She wishes for measures to be taken quickly to avoid destabilizing the affected agricultural operations.
The reform leads to the removal of certain fees, such as those on domestic pollution and the modernization of collection networks. In parallel, three new contributions are introduced: one on drinking water consumption and two related to network performance. Some existing fees are also adjusted, notably those concerning non-domestic pollution and water withdrawals.
The specific modalities of this reform were set by decrees and orders, published between July and December 2024. These specify the amounts, application modalities, and management of abolished fees. However, certain measures initially planned, such as increased fees for agricultural irrigation, have been postponed due to pressure from the concerned stakeholders.
A Need for Adaptation
For Dominique Estrosi Sassone, the reform should not weaken local agriculture. “Faced with the heavy consequences that the water pricing reform imposes on our irrigating farmers connected to drinking water and following the adoption by the FDSEA of a motion regarding the impact of this reform on Maralpine agriculture, I immediately contacted the Minister of Agriculture and the Director General of the Rhône-Mediterranean Water Agency, so that short-term action is quickly implemented to ensure the sustainability of endangered structures,” she stated in a press release.
In the longer term, the Senator for Alpes-Maritimes calls for an adaptation of fees based on usage. She believes that the desire to reform pricing should not jeopardize essential activities for the local economy and the country’s food sovereignty.