“Agricultural unrest is growing. » Patrice Brachet will go to Paris to bring the voice of farmers in distress, Tuesday January 14, to Annie Genevard, new Minister of Agriculture. It is with his hat as president of the Zéro cleavage association, born in Azerat in Dordogne, in 2017, that the retired cattle breeder will be received at the ministry.
Desperate cases
“We will be several associations, including Samu social and Elles de la terre. In the name of Zero Divide, I will talk about these farmers who do not have enough to eat even though they are supposed to feed others. This should concern us,” says the Périgord farmer.
Created to promote sustainable agriculture, the Zéro cleavage association has, since 2020, made the fight against agricultural unhappiness its fight “There are no ambiguities, we come to the aid of all farmers, throughout France. We are an apolitical and non-union association,” claims Patrice Brachet. The breeder has taken care of 230 colleagues since 2020, including desperate cases.
A distress that he understands well having experienced it. “I wanted to commit suicide in 2012. I was 30 meters from the target by car when I thought of my wife and my two sons. I know the discomfort from within. » Today, he has trained in mental health first aid, and works with “all state administrations in the Department, the Mutualité sociale agricole and social services”.
According to the breeder, the agricultural situation has gotten even worse, deteriorating very quickly since Covid, in economic and health terms. He had already been received by former minister Marc Fesneau, he specifies. What are his hopes? “We expect to be heard. What we want is for farmers, too often with their heads in their hands, to be able to be helped and supported like everyone else, which is not always the case.”
The Zero Cleavage association will hold its general meeting (open to all) on Friday March 7, in the Cuvier village hall in Azerat, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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