INTERVIEW. “We risk importing millions of tons of soya stuffed with GMOs,” warns Hélène Delmas of the Confédération paysanne 31

What are the main risks of the Mercosur agreement for French farmers, particularly in terms of competition and compliance with environmental standards?

This agreement opens the door to the importation of products that do not respect French standards, whether health or environmental. For example, we produce non-GMO soy in France, but we risk importing millions of tons of soy stuffed with GMOs, sprayed with glyphosate, from Argentina or Brazil. This is unfair competition for our farmers, especially since we could produce what we need locally.

The cost of transportation and energy is also a major topic, isn't it?

Quite. We are calling for taxation of maritime transport. It is inconsistent not to do so while imposing carbon taxes on local businesses. We import lamb meat from New Zealand, when we could encourage local production. This is what we denounce.

Annie Genevard, the Minister of Agriculture, affirms that France will not sign this agreement as it stands. Do you think this is enough to protect the interests of French farmers?

No, not really. They are talking about adding “mirror clauses” (aimed at imposing the same standards on imported products, editor's note), but this will not solve the income problems for our farmers. This treaty sacrifices our agriculture for other industries, such as aeronautics.

For many farmers, signing this agreement would be a red line. Could this lead to protest actions?

We do not intend to demonstrate at this time, especially in collaboration with unions affiliated with political parties that we do not support. However, we are thinking about actions like those we carried out in supermarkets, where we denounced the importation of foreign products, particularly during the Easter period. If the agreement is signed, it will be a red line, and there could well be excesses.

Do you believe that the Mercosur agreement could compromise the food sovereignty of France and the European Union?

Absolutely. We no longer even consume what we produce. This agreement would allow the importation of low-cost and poor quality products. The question is whether the consumer is willing to pay a little more for local, quality products. It is a social choice.

What about the development of MHE or bluetongue on farms?

Our farms are experiencing health crises that can decimate entire herds. There was bluetongue which hit certain farms hard, particularly in the Pyrénées-Orientales, with up to 80% losses among some of our colleagues.