Fodder shortage : the INAO authorizes organic farmers to buy non-organic feed

After a summer marked by repeated heatwaves that severely hit French livestock farms, it is now winter that worries livestock farmers: forage stocks intended to feed the herds until spring are in many regions largely depleted. Faced with this situation, the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) approved on August 18, 2026 an exceptional widening of feeding rules for organic livestock farms.

An exceptional derogation for organic livestock farmers

The 2026 drought was described as « historic » by the INAO. Concretely, the derogation is based on Article 3, paragraph 3, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2146, which complements Regulation (EU) 2018/848 governing organic farming. It allows herbivore farmers facing a forage deficit to temporarily resort to certain non-organic feeds, whereas organic specifications usually prohibit this.

The measure covers grass in its various forms — hay, silage, wrapped bales, feeding with fresh forage or grazing — as well as forage sorghum and mixed forage. It applies until the next turnout to pasture of the animals, and at the latest until April 30, 2027. The derogation request is individual: each farmer must submit it directly on the INAO website, with a processing time announced of around 48 hours.

A drought that has already cost the herds dearly

The scale of the phenomenon is also measured by its most concrete consequences. In Brittany, a region that concentrates a large share of France's meat farms, a heatwave in June 2026 forced authorities to authorize the burial of thousands of tonnes of animals that died from heat, due to insufficient capacity in the rendering sector to absorb such excess mortality in such a short time. In the Finistère alone, the prefecture reported 561 tonnes of poultry and pigs buried, spread across 208 farms.

This context of sanitary tension in livestock farms adds to sectors already weakened by the rise in the cost of animal feed and by the necessary trade-offs to hold on until the next forage harvest.

A support plan announced by the government

Faced with the mobilisation of the Chambers of Agriculture and agricultural unions, the minister in charge of Agriculture convened the prefects of the most affected departments to coordinate support measures for farms. The executive announced a plan intended to restart production in the disaster-stricken areas and to prioritize support for the most fragile farms, while several professional organisations are calling for a broader relaxation of animal feeding rules, beyond the organic sector alone.

For the farmers, the INAO derogation is only a partial response: it concerns only the feeding of herbivores in organic farming, while the forage shortage affects all livestock sectors, organic or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can benefit from the INAO derogation?

Only organic herbivore farms facing a proven forage deficit; each farmer must submit an individual request on the INAO website.

Until when does this measure apply?

Until the next turnout to pasture of the herds, and at the latest until April 30, 2027, according to the terms validated by the INAO on August 18, 2026.

Does this derogation also concern non-organic farmers?

No: it specifically concerns the rules of organic farming. Conventional farmers are not subject to the same restrictions on the nature of feeds, even though they face the same forage shortage.

Sources

• La France Agricole — a derogation to buy non-organic forage
• Reporterre — 5,000 tonnes of animal carcasses buried in Brittany
• Réussir — heatwave and saturated rendering

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy