Angry farmers from Vaucluse to Avignon this Monday, November 18. After blocking traffic in the Nîmes-Avignon direction, the procession moved into the city for an exchange with the prefecture services.
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“Our end will be your hunger”, after having symbolically blocked the Bridge of Europe, the farmers of Vaucluse are preparing to write their anger on the soil of Avignon.
The inscription on the ground will be made by sowing cereals. It will be visible as the seedlings grow, until spring.
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© Adrien Gavazzi – France Télévisions
The inscription will remain visible over time since it will be made with cereal seedlings. The sentence will therefore grow until spring.
At the beginning of the afternoon, they were received by the Vaucluse prefecture, “it is important that local public authorities are our spokespersons at the national level, but we know that the decisions do not come from them” underlines the FDSEA. A calm exchange with “people who listen to us“.
It is 3 p.m. when the mobilization ends in Avignon, “on se disperse” indicates the union. No resumption is planned for the next day, Tuesday November 19.
They first arranged to meet on this bridge in the early morning of Monday, November 18, before standing in front of the Avignon bridge. Dozens of tractors wandered around until they reached a huge 6,000 m² plot of land.
The farmers took the road to stand in front of the Avignon bridge after blocking traffic on the Europe bridge for a few hours in the early morning.
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© Adrien Gavazzi – France Télévisions
“We're fed up with people taking us for idiots” says a representative of the FDSEA union. “The state must choose whether it lets its farmers live or die” she continues, while she puts the number of professionals on site at around 200.
Free trade with Mercosur in the sights
At the heart of the tensions, the free trade treaty between the Mercosur countries, in Latin America, and the European Union. A text which notably provides for the removal of 90% of customs duties on products between the two entities.
Several dozen tractors took to the roads of Avignon. They are protesting in particular against the removal of 90% of customs duties on products traded between the European Union and Mercosur countries.
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© Adrien Gavazzi – France Télévisions
An idea that revolts. “We bring in products treated with molecules worse than what is banned in France” underlines Jordan Charrensol, president of the Young Farmers of Vaucluse.
If he is not opposed to the idea of a free trade treaty, he asks that agriculture be excluded, “ocan't trade cars for wheat or meat” .
Mercosur is not the only problem facing farmers in Vaucluse.here it is mainly fruits and vegetables which arrive from Morocco and which do not correspond to our production standards. We agree to produce cleanly, with as few inputs as possible, besides that we make the French eat things that we refuse to use.“.
Dozens of tractors and agricultural machinery are present to block traffic on the Europe Bridge. The FDSEA estimates that around 200 farmers in Vaucluse are mobilized.
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© Adrien Gavzzi – France Télévisions
Jordan Charrensol admits that there were “little helpers“following the first wave of anger expressed by farmers throughout France in January 2024,”but more is needed, there are farmers who are going to go out of business“.
Since early morning, farmers from Vaucluse have taken over the Pont de l'Europe in Avignon to protest in particular against the free trade treaty with the Mercosur countries.
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© Adrien Gavzzi – France Télévisions
Beyond free trade treaties, it is also on the administrative side that the unions are asking for an effort: “We need to stop doing two hours on the computer for one hour on the tractor. Sometimes we make the same declarations three times because it doesn't go to the same administration“.
The mobilization should at least last all day, with a moving procession, announces the FDSEA.
