While farmers are coming to Île-de-France, a region still spared by blockages, Valérie Pécresse wanted to express
“deep sympathy”
towards this protest movement.
At the wheel of their tractors, operators organized a snail operation this Thursday, January 25, in Yvelines.
The president of the region regretted, speaking to RTL, that farmers
"work hard (...) to feed the French"
while they have the
"feeling of being unloved"
.
The reason for this disenchantment?
“The ubiquitous standards that prevent them from working”
.
Valérie Pécresse then listed examples of situations that farmers may be faced with:
“When you are forbidden to clean your ditches to protect yourself against flooding.
When you are forbidden to make rainwater retention basins to prevent droughts.
When we tell you to plant hedges but we give you 17 directives to explain how to do it..."
For the former candidate in the presidential election, it is necessary
to "chop up all these Franco-French regulations which are ruining the lives of the French.
“Our ministries should stop making laws more complex
,” she continued.
Also readStandards: when France increases the constraints on farmers beyond what Europe requires
This request was also requested by farmers.
The FNSEA, the first French agricultural union, and the Young Farmers (JA) submitted around a hundred proposals to the Prime Minister on Wednesday.
Among them, they are no longer only asking for an end to
“
over-transpositions
”
, i.e. more extensive applications of European regulations than expected, but also to remove existing measures.
After the French standards, Valérie Pécresse also quickly denounced the European standards:
“We have to be very vigilant and offensive.
There is no question of having European standards imposed on us because we just haven't worked enough in Brussels.”
Imports of agricultural products
Valérie Pécresse also showed reluctance regarding the government's desire to tax non-road diesel.
“I am not sure that this measure is on the scale of our farmers
,” she said.
Regarding the EGalim law, the regional president, like the farmers, demands that it be
“applied”
.
“We cannot continue to produce and not sell at the production price.
We prevent farmers from selling at a fair price and sending them checks right after.
We are walking on our heads
,” she said indignantly.
Producers are therefore demanding
“
reinforced controls
throughout the territory”
.
The right-wing politician also pointed out the significant imports of agricultural products which threaten French farmers.
“We must stop importing low-cost products from countries that do not respect our standards, this is not acceptable, for anyone
,” she denounced.
“I understand consumers who prefer to buy their products cheaper, but we must put farmers back in the center of the country
,” she added before declaring that the State
“has been ignoring farmers for years
. ”
Also readStandards: when France increases the constraints on farmers beyond what Europe requires
Immigration law
The regional president also reacted to the other news of the day: the constitutional council will study, this Thursday, the immigration law, passed at the end of last year.
If the Sages censor certain points in the text, Valérie Pécresse calls on the government
“not to turn the page”
.
Read alsoImmigration law: what we can expect from the decision of the Constitutional Council
Because
“the immigration situation in France is out of control.
And I see it in my territory: we are the region which welcomes half of the migrants each year.
I have never seen so many as this winter
,” she explained.
Before specifying that
“all the tools in this law are useful to regain control of immigration”
.
For Valérie Pécresse
, “we will not get through this without a reform of the Constitution (...) and if there is no majority to vote for it, I ask that we address the people with a referendum”
.
Also read: Farmer and her daughter killed in Ariège: the driver of the car indicted for “aggravated manslaughter”
Regarding the departure of the Republicans from Rachida Dati, appointed Minister of Culture by Gabriel Attal, Valérie Pécresse finally affirmed that
“poaching a right-wing minister does not make a right-wing policy”
.
Before questioning the political line of the new government.
“We must stop the zigzags, we must have an assumed right-wing policy;
let us restore order at the borders, in the streets..."
, she demanded.