The Rural Coordination, the second agricultural union, has given this day of Friday January 3 to the Prime Minister so that he can propose a meeting, otherwise it plans to call its members to “go to Paris” to organize ” occasional blockages” on Sunday. The union had initially given François Bayrou and Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard until Thursday to receive its representatives.
“We don’t have an answer coming to us, so we have to go and get it,” said the president of Rural Coordination (CR), Véronique Le Floc’h, on RTL this Friday morning, shortly before the first council of ministers of the Bayrou government. “We are still waiting today. We hope that he (François Bayrou) will be convinced at the end of this council of ministers, if not with his Minister of Agriculture, at least with the other ministers, to give us importance and answer our questions”, declared Véronique Le Floc’h.
“What we want are measures that will allow us to continue working without it costing us more,” she added, pushing in particular for an “energy shield” and the revision of the calculation of social charges for farmers.
A crucial election in a few days
In the absence of an appointment, the CR plans “punctual blockages” in the capital without specifying the locations. “Our members and supporters are preparing and we are going into the electoral campaign on the 7th. So we have (Sunday) 5 (January) left, we have (Monday) 6 left,” said Véronique Le Floc’h.
This call comes a few days before the official launch of the campaign for the elections to the chambers of agriculture, which begins on January 7. The vote, which will take place online or by mail from January 15 to 31, will determine the new balance of power between agricultural unions. One of the challenges of this election will be to see to what extent the CR, whose yellow caps have gained visibility since last winter’s crisis, can shake up the hegemony of the majority alliance FNSEA-Jeunes Agriculteurs, which also requested “an emergency meeting” with François Bayrou after his appointment.
Customary for punchy actions, the CR wants to obtain guarantees from the Prime Minister for the defense of a French “agricultural exception”, focused on the defense of small farmers whom it considers crushed by free trade.