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PHAE

Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment (PHAE)

The agro-environmental grassland payment is a mechanism intended to facilitate subscription by a large number of farmers to agro-environmental measures aimed at the preservation of prairies and the keeping open of extensive management areas.

What is the PHAE?


Grass-based stock rearing systems offer society a certain number of services, in addition to the consumer products produced:

Contacts

Contact the DDAF for further information.

extensive management environments are kept open,

prairies are maintained, which play an important role in the eco-system (specifically in terms of biodiversity and the quality of water),

protection against soil erosion, by ensuring permanent plant cover,

maintenance of a landscape (prairies, fixed elements in the landscape, such as hedges, opening up and maintenance of environments).

Also, prairies implanted for a period of over two years are generally economic in terms of inputs (fertilisers, plant-health products and energy) and contribute to the economic sustainability of farms. They also help to give products a quality image.

The Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment (PHAE) is a mechanism intended to facilitate the subscription by a large number of farmers to governmental measures aimed at preserving and maintaining the opening of extensive management areas. The aim of the Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment is to stabilise grassland areas, particularly in zones threatened by agricultural evacuation and to maintain in these areas environmentally-friendly working methods.

How does it work?

The Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment is used to subscribe to either the measure aimed at maintaining extensive management areas open (measure 19.03 in the National Rural Development Plan) or measures for extensive management of prairies by mowing or pasturing (measures 20.1 and 20.2 of the National Rural Development Plan). The choice between these measures is made by the Prefect depending on environmental challenges facing the land. The farmer commits to this mechanism for periods of 5 years.

The main commitments are:

compliance with a maximum load on the farm,

maintenance of areas as permanent pasture and temporary prairies,

maintenance of the location of permanent prairies,

limitation of the use of fertiliser,

maintenance of fixed elements in the landscape,

a ban or major restrictions on the use of plant-health products,

recording of working practices.

The Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment (PHAE) succeeded the PMSEE in 2003. In 2003 and 2004 it was open, as a priority, to former beneficiaries of the PMSEE, and to young farmers. In 2005, Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment eligibility criteria will be specified at county level according to territorial requirements.


Overview of the 2003 campaign

56,570 farmers committed to the Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment in 2003. Land area committed to the Agro-Environmental Grassland Payment represented 25% of grassland areas in France, i.e. 3.16 million hectares. Mountain regions, mainly the Massif Central, the Alps, the Pyrenees and traditional plain-based rearing areas (Charolais, Limousin) were mainly concerned by this measure.


  
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