Looking for the local ‘grant-grabbers’: Cattle farmers' criticisms and emerging environmental subjectivities in southwestern France

Abstract

Meeting the challenge of “turning farmers into conservationists” is fundamental to tackling the climate/biodiversity crisis in the European Union. This is especially true in marginal areas, where environmental stewardship is (one of) the main justification(s) for the large amount of subsidies directed to largely unprofitable forms of agriculture, notably through agri-environmental and climatic measures (AECM) targeting cattle farmers. This article intends to analyse the confusing and sometimes reciprocal accusations of misuse of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which are made between cattle farmers. This study combines observations and interviews with suckler cattle farmers in a small region in southwestern France which is dominated by mixed crop-livestock farming and targeted by an AECM. It provides insights into local discourses that constitute environmental incentives as a moral issue. The results show that accusations are strongly context-dependent and extend beyond farming culture, thus reflecting the manifold identities of the cattle farmers. The AECM scheme, despite its low specifications, plays a role in the identity tensions that characterize contemporary cattle farming. The exploration of emerging environmental subjectivities allows us to take both the material and subjective dimensions of farmers’ identities into account.