Anger roars again. Farmers are ready to take to the streets again, all unions included. How do you view this crisis?
The overall context is not good: climatic hazards follow one another with frost, droughts and excess rainfall, which resulted in a very penalizing year. Add to this health hazards, such as MHE, FCO for livestock. All this weighs on farm finances. For major crops, 2024 represents the lowest cereal harvest on record. In viticulture, the malaise is structural, with a drop in consumption, and I add the hazelnut sector which is suffering greatly. All these elements suggest that the situation has deteriorated significantly.
What solutions are you thinking of to stem this crisis?
The problem remains the question of income. Farmers have difficulty making a living from the sale of their products. Today, there is an absence, a lack of dignity in exercising this profession. Which leads to psychological and social discomfort. We need to give more clarity to agriculture. You have to ask yourself: what do we expect from her? We must restore hope.
How does this financial malaise translate into MSA?
We have been seeing this for several months, with the rate of outstanding debts increasing. The collection rate [les insuffisances de paiement, NDLR] improved by two points. Farmers are having more and more difficulty paying their contributions. This is why we are proposing a national support plan, to get the farmer back on track. I want the MSA to be a crisis absorber. MSA must be the solution, rather than the problem.
What is the MSA doing, then, to help these farmers in financial and, this often goes hand in hand, psychological difficulty?
We have several devices. There is a payment plan, which allows contributions to be spread out. I invite any farmer to contact us so that we can look at the payment conditions together to help them finance them. At the national level, we then have an envelope of 30 million euros dedicated to covering contributions. Here, in Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne, we have identified the sectors in difficulty. In total, 1,700 farmers submitted a request for support. 1.5 million euros will be distributed to help them, so that they can get up to date. We also offer support in the context of psychosocial care, respite assistance for those who need to move away from their farms for a while with their family. We take care of the replacement service. Finally, we offer administrative assistance, for those who fall into this administrative wandering.
Some unions are calling for an outright reduction in contributions. Is this possible?
Today, we are working on a reform of the contribution bases, which can be reduced, but which are linked to the functioning of Social Security. We must not forget: 1 euro of contribution means 3 or 4 euros donated. The rest is made up of national solidarity.
On Tuesday, the MSA is expected to be targeted by protests again. How do agents experience these actions?
It's not very well experienced, but that's not the point. Today, we really aim to listen and support. At MSA, the hand will always be outstretched, the door will always be open.
Jean-François Fruttero is president of the Mutualité sociale agricole de Dordogne et de Lot-et-Garonne. He has also been president of the MSA central fund for a month.
