Convince their base, mobilized on the ground for two weeks, to return to their farm: the mission is particularly difficult for the leaders of the agricultural unions.
After fifteen days of blocking of roads throughout the country and three bursts of announcements from the Prime Minister - including a last one this Thursday, in the middle of the day - the FNSEA and the Young Farmers (JA), the majority unions, are calling for suspend the roadblocks.
“After a failed exercise last week by Gabriel Attal
(during his trip to Occitanie, Editor’s note),
we were heard on a certain number of points, with tangible progress
,” announced Arnaud Rousseau, cereal producer, president of the FNSEA, during a press point at the headquarters of the union organization, in Paris.
We made this decision in consultation with our network.
Everyone must return to the farms safely.
We do not want to relive the drama of Ariège.
Those who do not want to move, we will make sure to explain ourselves to them.
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Among the demonstrators of this historic mobilization, many young people, from all agricultural sectors (livestock breeding, viticulture, cereals, beekeeping, fruits and vegetables, etc.), at a time of year when work is less important on farms.
“On our union calendar, we decided, in view of what was announced today, that we needed to change our mode of action
,” continued Arnaud Gaillot, breeder, president of the JA.
We call on our network to suspend the roadblocks and get to work on Monday in the ministries and prefectures, in order to make further progress.
The first reminder rope is the Agricultural Show at the end of February, where we will have to have new progress.”
“We’re going to analyze it cold”
On the ground, this call for responsibility does not convince all activists, particularly young people.
Some of whom want to return to Paris.
“We didn't have all the answers to our questions.
We want to go further by grabbing a few kilometers every day and getting closer to Paris
, says Martin, a young agricultural equipment salesman in Hauts-de-France, present on the A1 dam, in Chennevières-lès-Louvres.
We do not want to enter into confrontation with the police, we must be smart and play cat and mouse to move forward a little more each day and enter the capital.
We represent the country.
It’s us too, France: that’s why we have tricolor flags on our tractors.”
We want clarification on what was announced in Brussels by Emmanuel Macron.
France obtained an exemption from the 4% set aside for one year, but after that?
A union leader of the Young Farmers
South of Paris, on the Chilly-Mazarin blockade where 150 tractors are still camped, the return home had not yet been announced, late Thursday afternoon.
“As long as there is no written summary of the Prime Minister's commitments, we will stay put,”
explains a JA union official.
We want clarification on what was announced in Brussels by Emmanuel Macron.
France obtained an exemption from the 4% set-aside for one year, but after that?
What is Europe's position on the exemption from customs duties on poultry, cereals and sugar coming from Ukraine, which destabilizes our production?
he continues, accompanied by the horns of vehicles passing above him, on a bridge.
Read also Farmers await the conversion of words into actions
“The minister wants to simplify phytosanitary strategic advice, compulsory and paid training which is useless and requires us to do more office work. He's not even talking about removing it!,
protests Guillaume, a cereal grower on the A6.
We're going to analyze it cold and we're going to see what we do."
At another blockage point on the A10, caution is advised.
“The uneasiness has lasted for too long, we have the impression that between our union superiors and the rank and file, we do not have the same analysis,”
comments Pascal, breeder and member of the FNSEA.
Beyond words, we want actions.
An envelope of 150 million euros is good, but dividing by the number of breeders, that’s not much.”
“It’s not enough to hand out checks”
In Occitanie, the region where the conflict started last Thursday January 18, after a first operation of “overturned panels” in October, farmers are for the moment reluctant to lift their blockade on the A68.
“It’s another announcement effect,”
deplores Thomas Klunker, joint secretary general of young Farmers between Toulouse and Albi.
There are still many gray areas regarding the application of the announced measures.
We will consult to find out if we lift the roadblocks.”
Same story with the Rural Coordination (CR), the second agricultural union, behind the FNSEA, allied with the JA.
The leaders are calling for a break, while their members are still upset.
“The direction of the announcements is the right one.
I have the impression that there is awareness and that things are moving forward,
believes Édouard Legras, cereal grower and president of the CR in Loiret, who was part of the CR delegation received this Wednesday at the end of morning in Matignon
.
On the breeding side, some parts are missing.
The Ecophyto plan is suspended and this is good news, it required us to reduce the use of phytosanitary products by 50%.
We have taken a first step, the second will be taken by the next Agricultural Show.
The field will decide whether or not to continue the mobilization, in consultation with local leaders.”
Also read “It’s to the Assembly that we should have gone”: on the A6, farmers frustrated by Attal’s speech head back towards Paris
The CR activists are having a hard time having spent, around a hundred of them, the night from Wednesday to Thursday in police custody after trying to enter the Rungis market.
Others cannot bear to have been parked near Dourdan.
“The public authorities are taking us by boat as they did during our trip from Agen
,” denounces Christian, a farmer, from his tractor blocked south of Paris.
It is not enough to distribute checks, we need a long-term course.
We are surrounded by the police and are forced to return home.
We will come back, but we have a very hard time being considered delinquents.”
For its part, the third agricultural union, the Confédération paysanne, calls for the continuation of the movement, particularly in supermarkets.