the new prefect at the farmers' bedside

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The visit of Charles Giusti, the new prefect of Eurecame at the right time, Wednesday

November 20, 2024. It had only been two days since this senior official took office when he went meeting the agricultural worldparticularly represented on the Neubourg plateau.

A welcome meeting for the farmers, who have been expressing their anger for several days. Administrative burden, insufficient income and fear of signing the Mercosur, European farmers are waiting for answers and actions from the government. So, this meeting with the first state representative in Eure was an opportunity to discuss many subjects.

After a meeting at Neubourg agricultural high school between the prefect and the agricultural unions, where the press was not invited, Charles Giusti visited the farm of Samuel Feugère, farmer at Écauville.

A bad year

Established since 2000, the farmer cultivates cereals and flax and, for five years, has also had an organic farm, which he manages with his sister. His testimony is particularly enlightening on the situation of conventional agriculture, as well as organic. “We lived a bad yearhe confided to the prefect. Less 40% on organic wheat, less 20% on conventional wheat. » On top of that, with inflation, the charges explodedwhich weakens cash flow.

For a short hour, the farmer discusses with the senior official the issues affecting the profession: the difficulty in recruiting and managing agricultural employees, the cumbersome administrative controls“up to twice a year for organic! », the perpetual adaptation to climate change: “we launch into soya and sunflowers because it’s hot, and the next year we only have rain and that doesn’t do anything…”

For a year, we have not seen any change in our daily lives, despite promises.

Samuel Feugère also warns about prices. “We have enormous price variations. » He gives the example of fertilizer, the cost of which has increased fivefold in three years. “Being a farmer is not just about producing, you also have to know how to buy and sell at the right time. » Inflation is doing a lot of harm to organic farming. “Consumers are abandoning organic, organic farmers are converting. » To this, the prefect relies on the EGalim lawsupposed to better protect farmers in their commercial relations with large retailers.

The water quality is also addressed, since it poses a problem in the department. “Today, farmers are careful, but we are too often singled out,” remarks Samuel Feugère.

Around the Écauville farmer and the prefect, Amaury Levesque, president of the FNSEA in Eure and Romain Loiseau, Young farmers from Eurelisten attentively and look favorably on the prefect's approach. “The prefect seems pragmatic on the subjects discussed. The farmers' movement is resuming because, for a year, we have not seen any change in our daily lives, despite the promises. We want to be able to breathe, to work in peace », comments Amaury Levesque.

For Charles Giusti, the exchange is “very interesting. I see the angerbut we must also look at what has been done, even if there are always points to work on. I am arriving in Eure, I want to understand the difficulties but also the advantages of agriculture here. The objective is to respond to dissatisfaction. »

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