The standoff ultimately did not take place. It was minus one. “Our trucks were loaded with slurry, ready to leave,” maintains Vincent Coco, president of Rural Coordination 40. But Thursday, November 21 in the evening, there was a change of heart: an agreement was reached with the prefect of Landes, after several days of mobilization of the peasant world which has gone crescendo.
This Friday morning, farmers lifted the blockade of Scalandes and the town was cleaned of all the bales of straw and waste dumped in front of the various state services. Conclusion of a marked week which was played out in several stages.
After the filter barrier on the Mons ring road organized by Modef, to raise awareness of the effects of the Mercosur treaty on Saturday November 16; the panels covered with black film by the JA and the FDSEA the next day; and an operation of this alliance of the two unions before the prefecture, Monday November 18, the Rural Coordination (CR40) entered the dance Tuesday November 19.
Upcoming meetings
The tension rose a notch the next day, when CR 40 received reinforcement from its counterparts in Lot-et-Garonne to block Scalandes, a food logistics platform (Leclerc) in Mont-de-Marsan. Until the epilogue, this Thursday, November 21 around 9:30 p.m.
“In the evening, I contacted the prefect,” explains Vincent Coco. We made a pact. I only have one word, I think so does she. She is committed to defending Landes agriculture. I felt he was someone I trusted. At least I hope so,” explains the president of CR 40 about this “on the sly” interview.
The prefect of Landes, Françoise Tahéri, indicates for her part that “the demands of farmers have been heard at the national and local levels”. The President of the Republic and his government have “taken very clear positions concerning their opposition to the draft Mercosur agreement. They announced the examination in the Senate of the orientation bill for food and agricultural sovereignty and the renewal of generations in agriculture from January 2025 […]. The commitments made will be kept point by point and methodically, according to the terms of the Prime Minister. »
“The others are waking up…”
Concretely, a roadmap (read elsewhere) will be put in place. The prefect “commits to continuing and accentuating dialogue and joint work with the Chamber of Agriculture and all agricultural unions, on the basis of a monthly plenary meeting, according to an operational agenda, on all subjects which will be brought to its attention, whether collective or individual.
“Meetings will be set up before the end of the month,” confirms Vincent Coco, “with commissions to find solutions, such as measuring margins for the bovine and palmiped sectors. I would like them to be labeled, known to the general public, to be clear and transparent to the consumer and the farmer,” underlines the president of CR 40.
For his part, Michel Larrère, president of the FDSEA in Landes, indicates that “as of Monday evening, the prefect promised us to resume discussions on the simplification and recognition of the profession. It stopped in May and never resumed in September. Afterwards, we are the only ones around the table, the other unions wake up three months before the elections, he tackles. It's a shame for Landes agriculture, because it's by doing all this work in the shadows that we can move things forward. »
Asked whether or not the mobilization initially announced by his union would take place on Tuesday, November 26, Michel Larrère adjusted: “A written commitment is good, but we are waiting for a timetable. We are therefore ready to leave next week. We don't like to get to that point, but there is only pressure to move the lines. »
“On the alert”
For Kévin Pouységur, the president of the JA, “the results are positive because we have commitments from the State, but we remain vigilant. We scored a try, to see if there will be a conversion. Expectations are high. We remain on the alert. Almost all of our requests were notified in writing. We are waiting for these commitments to be translated into concrete actions so that we can measure the benefits on farms. »
The leader of the Young Farmers, however, has one caveat: “The CR went a little far, force was used a little early. Afterwards, it is up to them to measure the consequences of their actions. We had to give the prefecture time to draft the agreements,” he believes.
The Landes prefecture indicates that the amounts of repairs following the damage are being quantified, but that “there will be no communication from us on this subject”. On the other hand, state services indicate that as announced Wednesday evening, the prefect of Landes did file a complaint, Thursday, November 21, for the arson and damage committed at the DDTM in Mont-de-Marsan.
Pressures?
The president of CR 40 emphasizes for his part that “the progress obtained is for all farmers, whoever they are, affiliated to a union or not”. Vincent Coco regrets: “I tried to mobilize all the farmers, but some received pressure from colleagues, and I even received messages telling me that I had to be content with my members. »
But a few weeks before the elections in the Chambers of Agriculture, the Landes leader remains certain: “They did not think that the CR was credible in the Landes. We showed what we are capable of. We can even do better, or worse. We must not forget that CR is a big family. When we move, it’s one for all, and all for one,” concludes the man some already nickname d’Artagnan.
The roadmap
The prefecture details the roadmap put in place: “Stakeholders from the agricultural world will be brought together specifically, in particular on all simplification measures useful for the activity of farmers and the quality of the department and its resources, every month; on agricultural unhappiness and the resolution of particularly difficult individual situations, while respecting confidentiality, before the end of November; on the fair remuneration of producers, in particular in the poultry and beef sectors, with commitments expected on contractualization from all the players in these sectors in the first quarter of 2025; on an increased contribution from public collective catering, in particular through quality and local supplies; on communication actions to raise awareness among farmers, particularly the department's production, and draw consumers' attention to the importance of their choices, according to their financial possibilities.
