Agricultural crisis: “Completely fed up”, one year later, the anger of a Marne dairy farmer is intact

In the middle of his stable in Vitry-en-Perthois, in the Marne near Vitry-le-François, Stéphane Minjeau scans his hundred dairy cows. A month after the death of one of the animals, victim of bluetongue, the breeder can breathe easy, the viral peak has passed and none of them have any symptoms. Bluetongue, poor harvests, administrative standards, so many events that punctuate the life of agriculture and push the Marnais to demonstrate from Monday, November 18.

However, almost a year ago, on November 25, 2023, he mobilized in front of the prefecture in Châlons-en-Champagne. He already expressed, alongside 150 farmers, fed up with administrative standards and competition from products imported from European Union member countries. A year later, the farmer is going to demonstrate again, his anger has not subsided.

“We can’t take it anymore”

“It's completely fed up. When you get up in the morning and you have health problems, financial and administrative constraints, we can't take it anymore, breathes Stéphane Minjeau, At some point, the breeders will say “stop, we’ll stop”.” Despite progress made last yearsuch as the establishment of a single administrative control, fuel tax exemption, farmers believe that this is not enough.

“For me, there is no difference, if we go out it is because we hope to obtain developments” castigates Stéphane Minjeau, “once I have paid all my expenses, I still have enough to pay a minimum wage. I don’t know a business manager with such remuneration”.

But this time, the Marne breeder and farmers across the country are also mobilizing against the Mercosur free trade agreement. France does not wish to sign it, but it could be adopted on November 18 and 19, during the G20 which takes place in Brazil. Farmers' fearthis includes the removal of all customs duties on 60,000 tonnes of meat imported from Mercosur.

“There are also 180,000 tonnes of sugar which could be imported, it is the equivalent of a Marnese sugar factory which could disappear” worries the breeder. Starting this Sunday, the agricultural unions of the FDSEA and Young Farmers will cover municipal signs to write slogans hostile to Mercosur.