The French real property market is a controlled market:administrative control of real property transfers has been implemented.

Unlike in other countries, land and rural properties cannot be purchased freely. It is essential to take this data into account when drawing up any installation project!

Thus there are statutory provisions for administrative control over the transfer of land and farms.

Initial measures were taken in France in 1958.

They were improved by the 1962 agricultural orientation law, a law which granted a pre-emption right to Safer bodies.

In 1975, the SMI (Superficies Minima d’Installation), minimum surface areas, were published.

To encourage the installationof young farmers and agriculturists in general (including those with several jobs),

To encourage the enlargement of farms where surface areas, production references or rights to bonuses are insufficient,

To prevent the break up of viable farms that could meet one of the two points indicated above,

To enable the installation or support the operations of agriculturists with several jobs.