The 60th International Agricultural Show opened its doors on Saturday February 24 in a context of peasant anger. Hundreds of farmers demonstrated in Paris right up to the gates of the exhibition center. The demands vary from one union to another and from one production model to another. A sign of the complexity of agricultural issues, the satisfaction given to a demand on the regulation of pesticides irritates other farmers. Organic farmers are angry.
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With our special correspondent in Drôme, Pauline Gleize
The farm irrigated by this spring lined with daffodils and violets, in Chabeuil, in the Drôme, François Sausse operated it organically. Recently pre-retired, he is saddened by the government’s abandonment of Nodu, an indicator on the use of pesticides, and the European Parliament’s decision on “new genomic techniques”. “ This is a general setback for all of agriculture. The fact of not moving towards reduction, of authorizing NBTs, is also a disaster. These are hidden GMOs. Studies on health impacts have not been done. »
Breeder of laying hens in Bourdeaux, Jean-Maxime Buisson does not hide his anger at the abandonment of Nodu. One grievance among others. “The State has not been disengaged for a few weeks, it has clearly been disengaged for a good six years. Before, an organic farmer received a little more than 200 euros per hectare to compensate for the services provided. And in fact, we went to 92 euros. »
Another helper flew away. And the additional 50 million euros put on the table this month in the face of the crisis in the sector, do not satisfy this co-president of the Drôme organic farmers group. “ Our network estimates the loss for the year 2023 at 300 million euros. Today, we feel abandoned, despite the fact that in terms of health issues, we should be more than praised. » And ironically about Emmanuel Macron’s promise of a five-year term ” ecological » ; his policy makes him above all “ green with rage “.
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