Economy of Finistere

Agriculture

The Finistere is a strongly rural department: nearly 36% of the population lives out of the agglomerations. The Agriculture there is the dominant activity and uses the 2/3 of the territory (63%). One counts close to 11 000 farms, for a permanent Active population agricultural of 26 000 people. The agriculture of the department is mainly directed towards the livestock productions. Nearly 66% of the " production at the basic price " (including the subsidies on the products) comes from the animal sector. The major part of the fodder or cereal productions is intended in addition for the livestock production. Finistere is also characterized by a strong production from fresh vegetables and potatoes early product, mainly in the north of the department. The intensification engaged since the years 1950 placed the department among most productive of France.

In the space of a generation, agriculture finistérienne carried out an incomparable change. The number of exploitations which was of 37 500 in 1970 is not any more but of 11 280. The population of the credits entered in full-time equivalents was divided by 3. She is of 22 000, which does of Finistere one of the French departments most agricultural by its active population. During the same period, the production was multiplied by two for the Céréale S, by 3,5 for the Porc S and 1,5 for the bovine meat. Finistere occupies the 3rd national rank concerning the total production. The average surface of the exploitations is approximately 33 hectares.

Fish

In 2003, the finistérienne production of maritime fishings adds up 66.632 tons of contributions under shouted for a turnover of 200 M€. The die feeds one the third of the national supply products of the sea and makes it possible the area Brittany to appear among the principal areas of European fishings.

This halieutic richness of Finistere is illustrated by the range of the exerted trades: offshore coastal fishing with the high-sea fishing in European water to the oceanic tuna boats deployed on the Atlantic Oceans and Indien (849 ships, 3.795 sailors, 22% of the power of the national fleet).

This weight of fishing and its importance for the dynamism of harbor and littoral fabric is still affirmed by the diversity of the induced activities: construction/naval repair, unloading, marketing and transformation. 11.500 employment thus directly related to the activity with the presence for the 1st setting in market of 9 is shouted out of the 41 which account the French littoral (including 7 on the south of the department) and a die tourist vectrice also of attractivity.

Industry

The secondary industry is represented by powerful agribusiness industries (40% of the industrial employment), by electronic companies related to the national defense and a sector of the building very dispersed, but active as well because of the three-year plan, carried out of 2001 to 2003 of revival of housing construction social locatives as traditional orientation of the population towards private individual housing.

The most dynamic sectors of the department of Finistere are represented by the food companies (SOFT slaughter-houses, BIGARD, GAD, cooked ROLAND ice creams, dishes RANOU and CAUGANT), industrial (filters FLEETGUARD, special papers PDM, motorization MILLER, electronic THALÈS, shipyards PIRIOU, generators SDMO), in the urban centres of BREST, LANDERNEAU, QUIMPER, CONCARNEAU and QUIMPERLE.

Trade and craft industry

The tertiary sector is based on the development of signs of large distribution in strong local support (LECLERC, RALLYE-CASINO, EURODIF), on especially littoral tourism and administrative employment present in the great urban centres (BREST, QUIMPER, MORLAIX).

Being the commercial establishments itself, Finistere represents, with more than 6.500 retail businesses, 28% of the regional offer. Finistere has a commercial structure near of that to its Breton neighbors. Indeed with more than one trade out of five, the food one (butchery, pork-butchery, bakery…) represent the first component of the departmental park. Come then in proportions relatively close the trade to the sectors hygiene and health (hairstyle, esthetics…), equipment of the person (clothing, shoes…) and equipment of the house (pieces of furniture, do-it-yourself, gardening).

Tourism

The tourist activity of Finistere constitutes an essential component of the departmental economy. In spite of a natural heritage and exceptional history, the sector of tourism remains fragile: after the negative effects over the season 2000 of the shipwreck of the ERIKA in December 1999 (27,6 million nights in 2000 instead of 30,5 million nights in 1999), the tourist activity almost found in 2002 its level of 1999 with 29,2 million nights.

An evolution of the frequentation is noted: the foreign customers seek services of high-end and the French customers tend to reduce the duration of her stays. On the other hand the frequentations of short durations in before-season (April-May) and after-season (September-October) develop, in furnished in particular with tourism (rural lodgings). August and July does not represent any more in 2002 but 57% of the total nights against 67% in 2000.

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