Around a hundred farmers, dressed in yellow hats and caps, pose in front of a bland industrial building, with a banner:
“#We will not die in silence”
.
A few minutes later, police sirens sounded, and the police dispatched to the Rungis market took the troop away.
With this illegal intrusion into a highly symbolic agricultural place, the coup is successful, and marks a coup for the Rural Coordination (CR) of Lot-et-Garonne (47).
The union cultivates its differences with the FNSEA and the Young Farmers, while the two unions called
“to suspend the blockages and enter into a new form of mobilization”
after Gabriel Attal’s announcements on Thursday.
Unlike the latter, the movement created in 1991 will try to maintain pressure on the government in the coming days by not calling
"to lift the roadblocks",
according to Christian Convers, the general secretary of Rural Coordination.
“We are not fully satisfied with the announcements, but mass is said since the Prime Minister received everyone and made his various speeches
,” announced the trade unionist in the middle of the afternoon.
We have no interest in staying any longer in Paris
. ”
The Peasant Confederation, the 4th agricultural union force in the country, also called on Thursday evening to continue the mobilization.
But the president of Rural Coordination, Véronique Le Floc'h, is less affirmative and leaves it to the departmental branches to decide what actions to take.
“We have several branches which remain mobilized because a department like Bouches-du-Rhône is affected by phenomena which do not concern the whole country,”
explains the Breton woman.
The people who manned the roadblocks need to rest, but the fight continues.”
“Spontaneous”
and
“uncoordinated”
actions
will continue in the coming days, until February 6 when a demonstration is planned in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The gathering could be “a
new beginning
” or even “
worse
” in the event of “
an EU-Mercosur agreement
”, she warns.
Also read: Emergency measures for farmers valued at 400 million euros
No exchanges between Rungis and the union
Long before this offensive positioning, it was the CR47 section which put the spotlight on the union, thanks to its notable actions in Agen: wild boar hanged and disembowelled in front of the Labor Inspectorate, tires set on fire, radar tagged.
His desire to ride tractors to Rungis, the world's first wholesale fresh produce market, attracted the attention of the general public.
While discussions between movement executives and Matignon took place on Wednesday morning, the first tractors from Burgundy-Franche-Comté and the Grand-Est were seen in front of Porte Paray-Vieille-Poste, south of the Rungis market.
The others stayed a few kilometers away.
“We already had the symbolic side of being so close to our objective, we didn’t want to do any damage
,” breathes a CR executive.
Among the demands presented to the Prime Minister, the unionists asked to be able to speak with Stéphane Layani, the boss of the Rungis market.
Refusal from the president of the MIN.
Read also: Anger of farmers: Emmanuel Macron launches major European projects
Around a hundred members of CR47 then took cars to escape the vigilance of the police, then entered the warehouse of a transporter at the instigation of Karine Duc and José Lopez, co-presidents.
Result: 91 demonstrators arrested due to intrusion and
“damage”
in a
“storage zone”
.
On the other hand, contrary to the first rumors, SEMMARIS, the company managing the market of national interest, confirmed to Le
Figaro
that it had not filed “
any complaints against farmers”
.
Thursday, a few hours after the release of 79 farmers in Créteil, the various union leaders were received by the parliamentary groups this afternoon: Renaissance, LFI, RN followed one another.
“The discussions were constructive
,” assures Véronique Le Floc’h.
The Prime Minister told us: ''With you, it's cash and always frank''
.
Shortly before 4 p.m., many RN deputies, including Béatrice Roullaud, Emmanuel Blairy and Philippe Ballard, came against the thirty or so farmers stationed in front of the National Assembly.
Then, after negotiation and thanks to the visiting rights of elected officials (four per day), around twenty farmers visited the hemicycle.
“Our role as parliamentarians is to show the common home of the Republic to the people they want
,” explained Pierre Meurin, RN deputy for Gard.
It’s not a question of affect.”
Also read: The European “green deal”, this threat that hangs over farmers
Privileged links with the RN
This connection with the party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella is not new for the right-wing union of the FNSEA.
One of the faces of the CR47, Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, did not hide his desire to obtain a National Rally label in the European elections, as reported by
Le Monde
.
One of his sons was even departmental secretary of the former National Front and multiple candidate in elections under the RN banner.
Last week, Marion Maréchal (Reconquête) responded favorably to multiple requests for selfies during a demonstration in Brussels as reported by Reporterre.
The union, officially, remains on its line:
“we speak with all political sides
,” says Véronique Le Floc’h.
These are low level comments, I am not going to issue a press release as soon as someone from the movement speaks.
We defend farmers, we are not here to play politics.”
Another problematic point, the Lot-et-Garonnais farmers of CR47 saw their management of the agricultural chamber of the department tainted
by “irregularities”
, according to a report published by the Court of Auditors on January 19.
Pierre (c), 75 years old, came to send a short message of support to the demonstrators in front of the National Assembly.
The Bretons Vincent (g) and Jean-Yves (d) appreciate it.
DR
Rural Coordination has gained popularity this past week thanks to its determination.
Many farmers met in recent days, unionized or not, have expressed their distrust of the FNSEA.
“The people at its head have double hats since they also have responsibilities in industrial groups
,” says Gabin.
“They went to bed too quickly
,” regrets Bastien.
Paul thinks
“that the government has made the JA (Young Farmers) dream with beautiful words”
.
The discourse based on a vision of agriculture oriented towards the terroir and on protectionism, fueled by a sharp criticism of the European Union, worked.
And the CR cultivates its difference: close to the position of the Confédération paysanne on the question of a dignified income and on the contestation of free trade treaties, but opposed on environmental questions, particularly on megabasins, which are favored of the second.
“
It’s good to have obtained simplifications for this year, but we will have to obtain exemptions every year
,” asks Véronique Le Floc’h.
It is not possible.
We need to review the register now.
»
Also read “Debts and suicides do not discourage me”: in this agricultural high school, young people still believe in it
In front of the National Assembly, Jean-Yves, a supporter of the CR, drove all morning from Finistère to express his dissatisfaction with the CAP – common agricultural policy – of the EU.
“We should sell Polish chickens with the extra syringe they inject and I can assure you that no one would buy any more
,” squeaks the former poultry farmer.
We do not have the right to put this syringe in our poultry.”
At his side, Vincent, also from the tip of Brittany, bounces back on the financial cost of the administrative procedures to complete the file,
“around 1300 euros”
and to show his determination.
“We have to show them that we won’t give up and that we are ready to come back!”