the essential
If anger and dismay predominate among farmers in Haute-Garonne, the horizon is clearing thanks to the construction of artificial lakes to secure access to water.
It is unlikely that farmers in Haute-Garonne will organize large-scale actions in the coming weeks. Farmers are hard at work in the fields. The particularly gloomy weather of recent months has delayed harvests and sowing for next year. But from Monday evening at 7:30 p.m., FDSEA 31 should carry out actions “targeted at strategic roundabouts” throughout the department. Angry farmers plan to “burn straw” in every canton. Demonstrations which, a priori, will avoid Toulouse to target rural areas more. The reasons for their anger are multiple: falling income, rising costs, but initiatives essential to the survival of the region's agriculture are moving forward. The reconstitution of the 100% local meat sector, supported by the association “Les bergers de 31” with the support of elected officials and the Chamber of Agriculture, is on the right track. The same goes for the construction of water reservoirs. Without these artificial lakes, it is difficult to imagine sustainable agricultural maintenance in the department.
“It has been 30 years since a hill reservoir was last created in Haute-Garonne. A first project launched in 2020 entered production at the end of 2023. A second will be in operation next year and a third will see the day in continuity”, explains Sébastien Albouy, president of the Chamber of Agriculture. But the Comminges farmer warns: “These are only small lakes of around 40,000 m3, just enough to irrigate 20 hectares. There are around fifteen others which should be validated by the authorities, but This will not be enough to meet the needs with the global warming that we are experiencing at the moment. It will be necessary to build water works between 100,000 and one million m3, located at the foot of the trees. Pyrenees, and without the strong support of the government, we will not succeed.”
