Agriculture is a profession which is no longer reserved only for the children of farmers who have taken an agricultural course. In fact, there is no law requiring you to have agricultural training to set-up as a farmer, although obtaining a diploma is strongly recommended to undertake your future steps more easily.
Whether it concerns the purchase or rental of agricultural land or the various forms of aid you are entitled to, ma-propriete.fr has all the information you need.
To develop agricultural land, beyond a certain area (which varies depending on the department and the use of the land), you must first of all obtain administrative authorisation (Contrôle des Structures) to operate. This process requires the submission of a prior authorisation request form to the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DDTM) of your department.
Your request leads to the production of an announcement in order to inform all potential candidates for the exploitation of the plots concerned.
In the event that a competing candidate comes forward, the DDTM will grant the authorisation to operate based on a certain number of regionally defined criteria.
Indeed, if there is competition between 2 candidates for setting up on the same plots, the authorisation will probably be granted to the candidate who has obtained an agricultural diploma related to the activity.
Good to know: If SAFER is solicited by a competing candidate for the purchase, it will inevitably take the agricultural training of the various candidates as a decisive criterion to authorise the acquisition or to pre-empt against the initial purchaser.
This means that you are not obliged to undertake agricultural training in order to acquire a plot; however, in the event of competition for land, there is a greater risk of refusal.
Establishment aid aims to financially support young farmers who are establishing themselves for the first time. In order to obtain this aid, it is necessary for you to prove your professional capacity by having a level IV agricultural diploma and by creating a personalised professionalisation plan (PPP).
A start-up boost is always interesting! A candidate for setting up in agriculture and having obtained the appropriate diplomas can apply for aid for setting up such as grants, support in setting up the project or tax deductions.
However, the beneficiary must commit to a few conditions for a minimum of 4 years, such as:
- Staying operations manager
- Maintaining management accounting
- Implementing their Business Plan
There is one case where obtaining a diploma is compulsory, and it concerns the repossession of rented goods.
If your parents or grandparents are owners of rented agricultural property which you wish to make use of at the end of the lease, you will need to prove your professional capacity, whether through agricultural training or 5 years of professional experience.
If you apply for a bank loan for your purchase, an agricultural diploma obtained by having carried out internships in the field is a very positive argument in your favour with the bank but it is not compulsory.
So training which is directly related to your project will be a real plus in convincing a banking establishment to grant you a loan.
It is possible to become a farmer or to buy land without having obtained an agricultural diploma. However, the road is likely to be more difficult both administratively and financially.
The profession of farmer, being very specialised, requires very varied skills and depending on your project you may have to ask yourself if agricultural training is essential or not.
