Since January, there are those who concede progress, others who talk about measures. This week, the peasant world takes to the streets again. This Monday, the FNSEA gave the “la” by deploying the first banners. Tuesday, time for the tour of the Grand Dukes with the Rural Coordination, which will carry out actions in front of the prefecture of Lot-et-Garonne, the MSA, the DDT.
These protests are expected to continue throughout the week, through the blocking of food freight. If all the unions do not have the same political reading of the crisis, they nevertheless agree on one point: the lack of income. What are farmers waiting for? What progress? “Sud Ouest” offers an overview. Not exhaustive.
1 Lower costs = more income
The list is – still – long among the grievances. CR 47 requests in particular a reduction in MSA social contributions by reforming their method of calculation, as well as a reduction in salary social charges. “The high cost of labor in France has a strong impact on the costs of agricultural production, making them uncompetitive on the European market. » Although having obtained a partial exemption from the tax on undeveloped land, CR 47 requests total exemption.
Finally, farmers want fair remuneration for their products, the price of which remains low, while the margins of large retailers and intermediaries, such as cooperatives, increase. The various EGalim laws are also intended to ensure this balance in agricultural commercial relations. “Laws that are ineffective,” regrets CR47.
2 End unfair competition
“We are still asking today to put an end to European inconsistencies, so that the continent is no longer a sieve. » The sentence is signed Hervé Lapie, secretary general of the FNSEA, visiting a Lot-et-Garonne farm, alongside local representatives of the JA and the FDSEA 47. In this case, imports of foreign products, which do not are not subject to the same phytosanitary standards and the same production conditions as in France, are targeted. We think, among others, of Spanish strawberries and Italian hazelnuts. This distortion of competition is also valid for Ukrainian products (chicken, cereals, etc.), massively imported into Europe since the start of the conflict with Russia.
3 The EU-Mercosur agreement ignites the powder
In addition to these demands, the future EU-Mercosur trade agreement will be added this fall. The agricultural world is paying attention to the G20, which opened this Monday in Brasília, and to the negotiations around the opening of the market with South America. This agreement would allow “the importation of 99,000 tonnes of beef, 180,000 tonnes of poultry raised with hormones, banned in France since the 2000s, and 45,000 tonnes of honey”, sighs the Confédération Paysanne. Or additional competition for French sectors already in great difficulty, to which they are opposed.
What the State has done and promises to do
According to FDSEA 47, saying nothing was done is not true. “We have obtained the simplification of the maintenance of waterways, flexibility on the CAP [politique agricole commune, NDLR]the detaxation of GNR [gazole non routier, NDLR]etc. » This fall, in response to poor harvests linked to the climate and cash flow needs, the government announced the establishment of exceptional two-year subsidized cash loans, with a rate of 1.75% (reduced to 1.5 % for young farmers). Likewise, long-term loans (over twelve years, editor's note) covered up to 70% by the State and up to 200,000 euros per loan, should come into force at the beginning of 2025.
As for the Mutualité sociale agricole, 1,700 Lot-et-Garonnais farmers have submitted a request for support. “1.5 million euros will be distributed to help them, so that they can get up to date,” indicates the president of the fund, Jean-François Fruttero.
If the demands today relate mainly to income, last winter there was a lot of talk about abusive standards and administrative intricacies. Also, the State promises the adoption of new simplification measures.
Furthermore, single administrative control in agriculture has just been put in place. A smokescreen, according to CR 47. “It is announced as a major step forward by Minister Genevard. This is not the case, because satellite controls are well maintained! » Finally, under the emergency fund, of the 270 million euros paid to farmers nationally, 31 million euros were allocated to organic farming in New Aquitaine, or 1,525 files.
