Already scalded by competition from Ukrainian cereals, the entry of which the EU had facilitated after the Russian invasion, French farmers are looking with concern at beef, chicken, corn, soya and South American cane sugar. Our journalist Nicolas Feldmann met Jean Lefèvre, a beet farmer from the north of France. “ We already have a European market which is saturated because of Ukraine. We are going to re-sign a new contract to massively import meat, to massively import soy, to massively import corn and sugar. We are a sugar producer in France, we are an exporter. Why are we going to add the import of sugar into a contract when we export it? »
Farmers also still expect the government to keep its promises to simplify their administrative procedures. Friday at our colleagues from France Bleu, Prime Minister Michel Barnier was questioned by one of them: “ It’s crazy to spend so much time on administrative paperwork. Things that are sometimes redundant, that we do three times for three different organizations. Today, we have reached the point where it is better to fill out a paper and let a cow die than the other way around. And we didn’t sign up for this job to do that. »
An anger from the base
For now, the promises of Michel Barnier, who was Minister of Agriculture in his time, have not been enough to defuse the anger. An anger from the agricultural world that is accompanied by the sector’s powerful unions but which, like a year ago, is part of the grassroots.
As of this Sunday evening, November 17, in Vélizy-Villacoublay, near Paris, several farmers were already mobilized. And they all say they are ready to demonstrate in the long term, they tell our journalist, Baptiste Coulon. There are around thirty tractors stopped on this national road. The impression for these farmers of having gone back a year, of starting from scratch, estimates Antoine: “ Clearly, we were cheated. We had lots of promises. Everything was dissolved at the time of dissolution. We can no longer see where we are going “. A lack of perspective while the demands remain: “ It hasn’t progressed, and here we still have this additional agreement. So it’s worse than last year “.
Unfair deal
The Mercosur agreement, denounced by everyone, is disloyal, in the eyes of Romain: “ For consumers, because they will no longer have traceability and no more quality. And for the producers because we are not given the means to be able to produce like Germany can, like Spain can “. However Emmanuel Macron is opposed to the agreement. But can France prevent its signature? “ I think he is not the only one to decide at European level “. Few believe it. “ He will say yes and at the same time, he will say no. He knows how to do that very well, so it doesn’t work at the same time, on Mercosur, it’s no and it’s no. »
A firm opposition and the promise to be heard in the coming days, warns Louis: “ This is the first warning shot to show that we are ready “. Could it gain momentum a little more? “ Of course it could get bigger “. For Romain, there is even no doubt: “ Many of our colleagues are still in the fields, they are sowing. When the work has progressed well, we will be more and more “. He says he is ready to mobilize more than a year ago. “ We have no choice for our survival, we must fight “. And several weeks, if necessary.