"It's a story of survival": in the midst of drought, these farmers defy the ban on irrigation

“We're not proud of it, but it's a story of survival, to save our skin,” says Pascal Ribreau.

This farmer installed at the gates of La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) will have irrigated his fields since spring and until last week, under the nose of the authorities.

"In all illegality", recognizes this fifties and president of the Authorized Trade Union Association (ASA) of irrigators of Aunis.

And he is not the only one: more than 110 farms of this same ASA would have deliberately chosen to ignore the ever more severe prefectural decrees to fight against a historic drought this year.

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