Key facts
- Lavender farming in Provence is facing declining profitability due to oversupply, price drops, and unpredictable weather.
- Farmers are diversifying into new crops or the laying hen sector to ensure stable income.
- Projects include building large chicken coops on lavender fields, with plans for 25,000 hens per coop.
- A French Agricultural Emergency Act aims to reduce administrative barriers for poultry farming.
- France aims for self-sufficiency in egg production, estimating a need for 300 more poultry houses by 2030.
Lavender fields, an iconic symbol of Provence, are becoming a financial burden for many French farmers, prompting a shift towards more profitable ventures. Faced with declining yields and unpredictable weather impacting lavender crops, farmers are diversifying into sectors like pistachio, pomegranate, and almond cultivation, or embracing the booming laying hen industry.
Two large chicken coops, each intended to house 25,000 laying hens, are set to be established on the Valensole plateau. In the small village of Roumoules, a farmer has received a building permit for a substantial coop, a decision that has met with mixed reactions from locals. While some residents welcome the initiative and the prospect of locally produced eggs, others expressed concerns about the industrial scale of the project.
Farmers confirm that lavender has become a delicate and less profitable crop. Ludovic Chaillan, a farmer from Roumoules, noted that oversupply has significantly dropped prices, and unpredictable weather leads to lower yields. He stated the need for stable diversification to ensure a steady income. For his lavender and fennel farm, he anticipates an income of €2,500 per month from raising 25,000 laying hens.
The mayor of Saint-Jurs, Jacques Richier, views the coops positively, noting they will be located several kilometers from the village and thus not visible, covering 2000m² of land. He emphasized the economic benefits of egg production for the local economy, stating that while lavender is beautiful, eggs represent a major economic sector.
These diversification projects are supported by a national Agricultural Emergency Act, which aims to streamline administrative procedures for installing chicken coops in the Provence region. This initiative is further bolstered by rising egg consumption in France, with an average of 237 eggs consumed per person annually. The government is also working to establish a specific legal framework for poultry houses to simplify procedures that currently involve costly environmental impact assessments and public consultations for flocks over 40,000 hens.
The egg national committee estimates that approximately 300 more poultry houses will be required by 2030 to achieve national self-sufficiency in egg production.