“We maintain our call to demonstrate, everywhere in France, (…) to go to Paris, by car or tractor. The idea is to be there on Sunday (January 5) afternoon to demonstrate on Monday. » Patrick Legras, the spokesperson for Rural Coordination, does not deviate from his line, despite the promise made by Matignon to receive the agricultural unions on January 13. “They are making fun of us, they are just buying time. There is no will to move forward”believes the trade unionist, who specifies however that the organization of the mobilization remains the prerogative of the sections in the regions.
Determine union power relations
According to union sources, the president of the majority union FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, will be received on Monday January 13 in the morning and a meeting on the same day at 2:00 p.m. was proposed to the president of the CR, Véronique Le Floc'h . But on Friday morning, she indicated on RTL radio to wait for a response from Matignon before deciding what action to take on the planned mobilization. “What we want are measures that will allow us to continue working without it costing us more”she declared.
The call to demonstrate is mainly relayed locally, by the different departmental sections of the CR, a few days before the official launch of the campaign for the elections to the chambers of agriculture, which begins on January 7. The vote, which will take place online or by mail from January 15 to 31, will determine the new balance of power between agricultural unions.
One of the challenges of this election will be to see to what extent the CR, whose yellow caps have gained visibility since last winter's crisis, can shake up the hegemony of the majority alliance FNSEA-Jeunes Agriculteurs, which had also requested “an emergency appointment” with François Bayrou after his appointment.
A « exception agriculturelle »
Customary of punchy actions, the CR wants to obtain guarantees from the Prime Minister for the defense of a « exception agriculturelle » French, focused on the protection of small farmers whom it considers crushed by free trade.
In recent days, the union has particularly expected from the head of government a « engagement » on two points “which cost nothing”told AFP Sophie Lenaerts, vice-president of the CR. On the one hand, “stopping the over-transposition of European rules in France”that's to say “to see only European standards applied, so that all European farmers have the same regulations” ; and on the other hand, the implementation of “controls on imports rather than on farms”she explained.
