A page is turning at the Agricultural Department of the canton of Neuchâtel. Pierre-Ivan Guyot, the head of department, retires this Tuesday, April 30. He worked there for twelve years before taking a fourteen-year break and returning for another twelve years. The head of department explained on Tuesday, in La Matinale RTN, his role within the State. “It is to act, in a way, as the transmission belt between the Council of State, its directives, federal and cantonal agricultural legislation and the practice of agriculture. It is also about bringing elements from the grassroots up to politics. »
Pierre-Ivan Guyot has worked in the agricultural world for nearly 40 years. He explains that it is difficult to talk about major changes during this time, but “what is certain is that there is a lot of pressure now and in various ways. There are climatic pressures, this has been seen again in recent days with frost in the vines, drought in 2022, etc. These are things that farmers understand well and cope with quite well with a lot of resilience. » The pressures at the political level are much more complicated, notes Pierre-Ivan Guyot, with the initiatives of recent years. Whether it is the one on pesticides, clean water or even biodiversity which will be submitted to the people on September 22 of this year. “These are initiatives that are complicated to be accepted by the agricultural world, because they indicate a misunderstanding of what is happening in agriculture and a non-recognition of all the work well done. »
Agricultural policy in Switzerland depends on the Federal Parliament. The cantons do not have much room for maneuver. “We still get there, through the cantonal Parliament which gives us guidelines, for example the organic orientation of the State’s agricultural estates. This was done in Neuchâtel and Val-de-Travers. (…) We see that Neuchâtel viticulture has also made enormous progress in this area, in the sense that we are the Swiss record holder in this area, with more than 50% of the surrounding wine estates. » For his retirement, Pierre-Ivan Guyot wants to be able to “take the time, but I also have a side job as president of the Interprofession du Gruyère which will take up my time. And for the rest I will also take time for my family who I haven’t taken care of enough lately. » /sma
