The president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, reiterated that he will not attend the debate desired by Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show with the agricultural world, this Saturday. The other unions also show a form of skepticism about the usefulness of the debate.
08:54 – Emmanuel Macron must clarify “his vision” for agriculture
“I do not expect the President of the Republic to give us the exegesis and technique of his announcements. I expect the President of the Republic to convey his vision” on French agriculture and its future, declared Arnaud Rousseau on BFMTV-RMC. The trade unionist is waiting in particular for the Head of State on the question of Europe and wants to know if he “intends to protect French agriculture internationally”.
08:45 – What reception was reserved for Emmanuel Macron and politicians?
As he has been saying for a week, Arnaud Rousseau repeats that politicians will not be able to come and benefit from the Show while ignoring the agricultural crisis which has been underway for a month. The president of the FNSEA says he does not know “what will happen tomorrow morning” when Emmanuel Macron arrives. He must bring together the union’s administrative council “to decide” on the reception given to politicians. However, he recalls that the Show must be a showcase for French agriculture, thus excluding any action against visitors.
08:36 – Arnaud Rousseau will not attend the Agricultural Show debate
The president of the FNSEA, the first agricultural union, Arnaud Rousseau affirmed that he will not participate in the debate wanted by Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show tomorrow. He denounces a form of “intolerable cynicism”. The trade unionist had accepted the invitation before learning of the Earth Uprisings’ invitation. The backpedaling of the Elysée on the arrival of the radical ecological collective will not bring back the boss of the FNSEA.
08:20 – Marc Fesneau has no “certainty” about holding a debate at the Salon
The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau, guest of TF1 this Friday morning, indicated that he was “not certain” about the effective organization of a debate between the Head of State and the actors of the agricultural world announced and desired by Emmanuel Macron.
08:15 – Farmers mobilized in Gard
Gard farmers are also mobilized this Friday, on the eve of the Agricultural Show. The FDSEA took action in front of the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT) of Nîmes this morning by burning tires in front of the establishment, as reported France Bleu Gard Lozere. The demonstrations then headed towards the Carrefour de Nîmes. They park in the parking lot with their tractors and block the entrance by dumping earth.
08:09 – The A62 still blocked between Agen and Montauban
It is not only in Paris that farmers are mobilizing. In the southwest, the A62 is still blocked by the agricultural social movement. The road is closed for 70 kilometers between Agen and Montauban.
05:45 a.m.: ⚠️Following demonstration, motorway cutoff #A62 between Agen n°7 and Montauban n°10 in both directions. Dir Toulouse: ⛔Entry prohibited and ➡️exit obligatory at Agen n°7. Dir Bordeaux: ⛔Entry prohibited and ➡️exit obligatory at Montauban n°10. #TrafficInfo @Radio1077
— A62 motorway (@A62Trafic) February 23, 2024
08:02 – The Earth Uprisings reportedly refused to participate in “this deception”
The invitation extended to the Earth Uprising collective to participate in the debate at the Agricultural Show continues to arouse anger, even now that it has been canceled. The farmers, particularly those from the FNSEA, opposed the arrival of the collective and made the head of state give in. But the collective itself assures that it would “not have participated in this deception”. THE Earth uprisings add on that “it is interesting to note that the government is always quick to “give in to the demands of the boss of the FNSEA”.
07:55 – The president of the Rural Coordination “expects nothing” from the debate with Macron
The president of the agricultural union Rural Coordination, Véronique Le Floc’h, “expects nothing” from the debate organized by Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show, she assured on RTL : “They wanted to manipulate us as if we were puppets, it’s so far from the point that if they don’t get to the point right away we’re going to continue wasting our time.” She also indicated that she was not participating personally, preferring to “let [sa] place to [ses] colleagues in the field.
07:49 – The FNSEA refuses “for the moment” to participate in the debate with Macron
The FNSEA does not plan to sit at the same table as Emmanuel Macron to participate in the debate promised during the Agricultural Show, at least “for the moment” as announced by the union’s general secretary, Hervé Lapie, on franceinfo. “Inviting a collective whose dissolution has been requested by this government, for us, is an unacceptable provocation for farmers” he added, questioning the position of the executive.
07:41 – A snail operation on the Paris ring road
Farmers have been disrupting traffic on the Paris ring road since 6:30 a.m. this Friday morning. On board their tractors, farmers carry out a snail operation as shown in images from BFMTV. The procession has arrived on the ring road via the A4 and is heading towards the Porte de Saint-Cloud. Once arrived in the capital, the farmers will settle in while waiting for the departure of the demonstration planned by the Rural Coordination at 10 a.m., they will join Place Vauban, near Les Invalides, in the 7th arrondissement.
02/22/24 – 11:22 p.m. – Biolait pleads in favor of supporting producers for sustainable agriculture
END OF LIVE – Since the start of the mobilization of farmers, ecological standards have regularly been singled out. Some criticize them for affecting their performance and, with it, their income. Among their grievances, at the end of January, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers even demanded the rejection of the Ecophyto plan, which aims to reduce the use of plant protection products. In a communicated press release published in February, Biolait, the first collector of organic milk in France, believes that on the contrary, “faced with the suffering of the agricultural world and the decline of biodiversity, it is imperative to support [l]producers in order to act for sustainable agriculture”. For him, the executive must propose “concrete and strong” measures to “accelerate the transition of French agriculture towards an organic production model”. Safeguarding the planet and human health must not come out harmed by this battle, he believes.
02/22/24 – 22:24 – The Earth Uprisings are finally no longer invited to the debate with Emmanuel Macron
The Élysée is backtracking. While the radical environmentalist collective was to participate on Saturday in the major debate organized by Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show, its arrival aroused indignation in the ranks of farmers, whose majority union had announced that it no longer wanted to participate in the event. a little earlier this Thursday evening. Faced with the outcry, the Élysée Palace announced that Les Uprisings of the Earth would ultimately not be invited in order to “guarantee the serenity of the debates”.
02/22/24 – 9:23 p.m. – The FNSEA refuses Emmanuel Macron’s debate
In question ? Participation in this same debate by Earth Uprising, a radical environmentalist collective. On (ex-Twitter), Arnaud Rousseau, the president of the FNSEA, the majority union, denounces “an unacceptable provocation for farmers”, indicating that the presence of this “small group whose dissolution has been requested” by the current government is prohibitive to his participation. “Under these conditions, I refuse to take part in what will only be a charade,” announces Arnaud Rousseau.