In France, the angry movement of farmers is reaching the capital, Paris. The Young Farmers’ union and that of the FNSEA in the Paris basin are calling for a blockade of the French capital from this Monday, 2 p.m. Unions from neighboring departments are invited to join them. Another union, that of Rural Coordination in Lot-et-Garonne, in the south of France, is calling on it to block access to the Rungis market, near Paris… It is the largest agricultural products market in world which supplies all of Paris. And to carry out such actions, farmers and unions have organized themselves.
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Rungis, from Lot-et-Garonne, this means crossing France from south to north, 700 km, a 15-hour journey and a lot of organization to keep up, explains
Aurélie Armand, director of the Lot-et-Garonne rural coordination union:
“ We have fuel suppliers who will follow us so that we can refuel our tractors.
Fifty tractors at the start. A hoped-for arrival on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., if no problems occur between now and then, but everything has been anticipated : “We have carriers who will also follow us, who offer us mechanics, for example mechanics who can have breakdowns on the road. »
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How to take care of your farm when you are on the other side of France, the answer is in one word: solidarity:
“ They work things out between generations, they work things out between neighbors too. Those who cannot come because of the children for example, will take the work of the neighbors for an efficient departure and a number. »
The procession of tractors could grow as Paris approaches. Once there, the farmers plan to stay several days. Hold will then be the key word. The unions from different departments plan to take turns. “ It’s Thursday for usexplains Jean-Pierre Clipet, FDSEA general secretary of Pas-de-Calais, oI have established a schedule, the idea is that everyone can take a day to go and express themselves, but also that they can still, in the meantime, do the work on their farm. »
And this dairy farmer warns, with this option, you can last a long time.
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A major security system will be put in place to prevent certain blockages: that of the Rungis market and those of Paris airports. Blockages could again emerge on the highways leading to the French capital. There is no other choice to make yourself heard, believes Cyrille Milard, president of the FDSEA union in Seine-et-Marne, near Paris.
We mobilized in all departments, we blocked things and we saw the response which was not at all up to par. So, we knew that our ultimate mobilization would be to block Paris. In fact, the silence of the State and the non-response to our problems for too long means that we are reaching an extreme point and I am sorry for the rest of the population, but in fact, it only works like that the government: we must block, we must demonstrate, otherwise someone will move. So there (…) everything will be done to make them crack and provide answers to our demands. We are very determined like never before in the agricultural world, have been motivated and in distress for more than 30 years. I think the movement will not stop until we have an answer. So, we said Thursday, but it could continue longer.
Cyrille Milard, president of the FDSEA union of Seine-et-Marne: “I think the movement will not stop until we have an answer”