French Farm Costs Rose 4.3% in 2012 on Energy and Feed

French farm-production costs rose about 4.3 percent last year on higher expenses for energy and animal feed, with the biggest rise for livestock breeders, the Agriculture Ministry reported.

An index of agricultural-input costs averaged 134.2 points in 2012, the ministry wrote in a report on its website today, compared with 128.6 points reported for 2011. The cost of agricultural inputs jumped 7 percent in December, it said.

The cost of animal feed, which makes up about a quarter of the index, advanced 6.7 percent last year, the report showed. Energy and lubricants, making up about 11 percent of farmers’ costs, increased 9.2 percent.