In France, farmers continue their mobilization. The port of Bordeaux, in the southwest of the country, for example, is still blocked. At the Congress of Mayors of France, in Paris, local elected officials themselves have demands vis-à-vis the State and are largely in solidarity with farmers.
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The sign for his town may have been torn down by farmers last year during a mobilization, but Ludovic Oblon, mayor of a town of 10,000 inhabitants in Vendée, unhesitatingly supports this new movement. “ I support, of course! Especially since I’m in a rural area, they have too many standards. Excessive standards of control are crazy », he exclaims.
“ The agreement Mercosurit is very dangerous, indeed, for French agriculture », declares Jean-Marc Lanéry, mayor of Ponsonnas, a village located in Isère. And according to him, many, especially rural mayors, share this sentiment. “ In my department, there was a somewhat original action. They reversed the town entrance signs, which was a dramatic way of saying it was wrong. It didn’t shock my colleagues, who left the panels turned over », adds the councilor.
“ We must preserve agricultural land »
It is true that mayors have their own role to play vis-à-vis farmers. Although they do not have as much power as the state, they can carry out concrete policies.
“ We need to preserve agricultural land and there we have a role, particularly in our local town planning plans to promote short supply chains and healthy eating in our school restaurants. », Explains Christine Guillemy, who wears the tricolor scarf in Haute-Marne.
The understanding between mayors and farmers is also explained by this figure: around 20% of local elected officials are farmers or retired farmers.
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