It is in a breeding farm that Arnaud Rousseau, the president of the FNSEA, chose to meet this Wednesday, November 6, 2024, some of his members, shortly before the Federal Council which brought together 150 local elected officials from the majority union, in Changé , near Laval (Mayenne).
A meeting in the field, here at Cyril Moussu, in Courbeveille, as he does twice a week, to take the pulse of the farmers. Like a scent of the countryside, a few weeks before the elections which will be held in the Chambers of Agriculture.
The opportunity to remember for the Seine-et-Marne cereal producer “resilience” of the mixed crop and livestock system, “a French singularity that must be promoted”. And also to confirm that new actions will be well organized from mid-November… while specifying that the work (sowing, harvesting) not being finished yet, this would necessarily have an impact on the “level of mobilization”.
A mobilization against Mercosur
One thing is certain: these actions will aim above all to oppose the signing of a trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay), on November 18 and 19.
“The request of parliamentarians [200 députés ont appelé le gouvernement à bloquer la conclusion de l’accord N.D.L.R.] is a good thing, but now we want consistency from Brussels, explains Arnaud Rousseau. We will not accept that imported agricultural production does not respect the specifications which apply to French farmers. »
“We need to get out of our naivety” added the president of the union, otherwise quite cautious in his comment relating to Trump's victory in the American presidential election. “This is a challenge for French agriculture, he said. We will now see how he wants to protect the American market and how he manages distortions of competition. »
“I had a phone call from Mr. Besnier”
At the national level, if the FNSEA welcomes the establishment of a single administrative control, “while today some farmers have up to five checks per year”she waits “the realization of announcements”whether for compensation to deal with health problems, the pension file, the simplification of standards, etc.
This press conference given at milking time, on a dairy farm, was also an opportunity to review the recent announcement by Lactalis, which decided to reduce its collection by 9% by denouncing hundreds of contracts with farmers from the West (not in Mayenne). “I had a phone call from Mr. Besnier (the president of the Mayenne dairy group) shortly before the announcement, explained Arnaud Rousseau. He told me that he wanted to leave no producer behind and that this would allow him to pay better for milk. We will be vigilant to ensure that commitments are kept. »
