Anger of farmers: “It’s heartbreaking”, “Stop agricide”, Lot farmers in the street

They had warned, here they are back on the street. Less than a year ago, they took their anger out on the streets. This Monday, November 18, farmers mobilized again. In Figeac, Cahors and Gourdon, they were present en masse, following the national call from the FDSEA and the JA, with one and the same voice: “No to Mercosur”. They also denounce French standards that are too strict compared to Europe.

The meeting point in Figeac was set at Foirail where around 40 tractors from all over the region converged around 10:30 a.m. While the procession took position, the JA and the FDSEA of Lot deployed banners and installed bales of hay at the two roundabouts, without disrupting traffic. “No hormones on your plates”, “We are going straight into the wall” or “the end of farmers is hunger”, many messages were sent directly to consumers.

All the agricultural machinery then descended in convoy, very noisily to the sound of horns, into the heart of the city. At midday, the demonstration continued at Place Vival, in front of the Figeac sub-prefecture where new tarpaulins were deployed on the facade. A strong and “very symbolic” moment for Alain Lafragette, former president of the FDSEA of Lot who led the action, the removal of the European flag from the pediment of the sub-prefecture, replaced by the flags of the agricultural union. Present in Figeac, Clément Rouquié, president of JA 46 and breeder in Durbans, underlined the importance of this first day of action. “We are here first of all for Mercosur. We import what we are forbidden to produce in France. We cannot tolerate that with unbeatable prices. They have the right to hormones and it has been banned here since 20 years later, it's Europe that's a sieve that's the problem, we need a little more controls.” The union leader recalled that a year ago today the farmers returned the municipal signs. “After the January mobilization, we made progress but only 30% of the promises were kept, we are still waiting for the 70% that are missing…” The sub-prefect of the district Anne-Cécile Vialle went to meet the mobilized farmers and listened to their demands.

Uprooting the vines: “heartbreaking”

For their part, in Cahors, the demonstration started at the Montat roundabout before converging towards the Regourd roundabout. The farmers lit a “fire of anger” there. Traffic not blocked, but significantly slowed down. Karen Serres, vice-president of the FDSEA, insists: “The idea is not to block the population but to make what we have to say heard.”

Anger of farmers: European flag taken down, coffin hung, gates covered, and straw laid out, things are heating up in Cahors and Figeac in front of state buildings pic.twitter.com/ELBUS4zGjb

— La Dépêche du Lot (@LaDepeche46) https://twitter.com/LaDepeche46/status/1858488146419220811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Then, the convoy of around ten machines took the road towards the prefecture, Place Chapou. The farmers pulled out all the stops. A coffin was hung on one of the institution's lampposts, as well as a banner saying “Let's not import the food we don't want”. Hay bales were positioned to block all entry and exit from the building. But above all: exit the slurry, make way for the vines. These were dumped all over the place. “There is a dramatic crisis concerning viticulture. They have to uproot their vines. It is heartbreaking for some who had inherited them from previous generations. It is very difficult to cope with, they need more support and “support”, confides Karen Serres. 16% of the Lot vineyards will be uprooted. In the crowd, many are wearing the green hat of the FDSEA. Among the fifty demonstrators, a known face: the deputy Aurélien Pradié. Prefect Claire Raulin went down to the square to meet the farmers.

“Stop agricide”

In Gourdon, farmers gathered in the parking lot of the Communauté de Communes Quercy Bouriane before forming an impressive convoy of tractors which crossed the town at a snail's pace towards the sub-prefecture of Gourdon. They parked their huge machines in front of the building in a line. The goal is not to annoy consumers, explains Christophe Bonnet, trade unionist from the FDSEA, accompanied by the Young Farmers of the Lot.

Asked about the reasons for this first day, Christophe replied: “We do not want Mercosur, we have been subject to draconian hygiene rules for 20 years for which we pay the costs, it is unacceptable to accept animals treated with hormones banned in Europe. This makes food unfit for consumption and will increase the health bill. At a time of global warming, the pollution of transatlantic transport will add up. France, it is our job to feed the population Our prices are low, but the abusive prices for consumers mainly benefit intermediaries, and we are accused of not being competitive. The second demand is the reduction of administrative constraints and costs. “Repeated checks are far too many and the orientation law is still pending in the Assembly.”

Henry Constant, a retired farmer, has been part of all the peasant demonstrations, he confirms: “We have been asking for less paperwork for 50 years and it still has not changed, on the contrary. We have been made great promises in last January which were not kept, this makes us angry.” The trade unionist concludes: “Stop agricide! Today we are calling on the government, in the coming days operations will ramp up, that remains to be defined.” For the moment, new actions are not on the agenda, but the latter is not set in stone.