A “peaceful but determined” action, immediately displays Joseph Colombani, president of the FSEA of Haute-Corse. This Monday, December 23, around twenty farmers from this union and the JA occupied the offices of the departmental territorial management (DTT), in Bastia. Objective: obtain answers on the non-payment of aid from the common agricultural policy (CAC).
“If necessary, we will spend the holidays herehammer Joseph Colombani. Some aid has not been paid for years. This puts farms and families at risk. We will never accept such treatment.”
According to him, out of the 30 files of French farmers whose aid has not been regularized, 26 concern Corsican farmers, “without the slightest justification, which also prevents these breeders from taking legal action.”
Added to this problem is the particular case of pastoral groups established in Niolu, which, again according to the union, do not receive all the aid they should receive. Around fifty breeders are affected by this problem. At issue: the occupation of summer pastures. Operators can only declare it for six months, even though they occupy the territory for a greater part of the year.
“A significant shortfall”
These areas are therefore not recognized correctly, which would impact basic payment rights (DPB). “It’s a significant shortfallexplain Jean-Marie Castellani, president of the pastoral group U Paglia Orba. We need this aid to run our farms and pay for fodder. However, the fact that we are formed as a group does not allow us to activate our aid normally.”
If a solution is not found before December 31, unreceived aid will be lost. It is for this reason in particular that the mobilization is organized just before the end of the year. “We cannot put farms in danger for administrative trivialitiessupports Joseph Colombani. We are waiting for answers.”
This Monday afternoon, a videoconference was to be organized between farmers and the general directorate for economic and environmental performance of businesses, a department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. “We have exchanges between the state departmental services and the ministrynoted Arnaud Millemann, secretary general of the Haute-Corse prefecture. They are continuing, with a view to finding a solution to these difficulties.”
