“The silence of the State is deafening”

While farmers' mobilizations risk resuming with a vengeance, environmentalists are the target of attacks and violence on the part of productivist agricultural unions. The France Nature Environnement association (FNE) has been entitled in recent weeks to at least four actions by Rural Coordination against its local branches in Limousin, Creuse and Pyrénées-Orientales. Its president, Antoine Gatet, denounces the exploitation of farmers' anger by these unions. It calls for addressing the real problems facing the agricultural world today.

Reporterre — In a press release, you say that FNE is regularly targeted and attacked by agricultural unions, what is happening ?

Antoine Gatet We are simply being prevented from having a public debate on the issue of agriculture and the environment. Conferences with doctors on pollution linked to pesticides are disrupted, our premises are damaged, cinema screenings are invaded, waste is dumped in front of our members' homes, some are even physically and verbally attacked. Recently, the wife of an association leader received stones and slurry was thrown in front of their home. These unions are trying to scare and intimidate us.

All these acts are the subject of complaints, systematically closed without follow-up, sometimes without investigations. Even though the people and agricultural unions sponsoring these facts feel so above the law that they sign them, publish them and claim their crimes on social networks. This must stop. Immediately.

Why have environmentalists become “ scapegoats » ?

Because the State has abandoned its mission of defending the general environmental interest, it is no longer the Ministry of Ecology nor the large public establishments which carry this message. If we, civil society, no longer carry out this information and warning role, no one will. The State gave up. He abandoned scientists and citizens in favor of agribusiness unions and their hate speech.

Faced with the resurgence of these acts, what are you going to do? ?

I asked the Minister of Ecological Transition [Agnès Pannier-Runacher] that there be a rapid public reaction. It is unacceptable that we are threatened in this way in a democracy. Imagine, if it were us who committed this violence, if we did what we suffered, imagine the unanimous reaction that there would be in the press and within the political world to treat us as« ecoterrorists »of « delinquents »etc. There, the silence is deafening.

A year after the first blockades of farmers, why has the anger still not subsided ?

Quite simply because the real issues at the origin of the agricultural crisis have not been addressed ! These real issues are the working conditions of farmers, their income, the practices that make them sick and destroy jobs, free trade, etc.

These are subjects on which we, environmental associations, worked hand in hand with the agricultural world at the start of the movement. The agricultural crisis began with legitimate anger and deep criticism of the model in which farmers are trapped. This movement was then recovered by the FNSEA [syndicat agricole majoritaire et productiviste]. I am amazed to see that the farmers who are revolting because of their income are still represented by Arnaud Rousseau, who is an industrial businessman, responsible for a huge agri-food company Avril, and who farms more than 600 hectares of cereals. It is anything but representative of these suffering farmers !

At the end of January, there was a negotiation with the government. The measures advocated continue to support industrial agriculture and the intensive model. There was no response to the issues raised at the base. It is completely logical that the movement is gaining momentum again.

The agricultural orientation law and the concessions made by the government in January were therefore not effective ?

It's even worse, they have had a huge perverse effect. By mutual agreement between the government and these unions — the FNSEA and Rural Coordination — we transferred responsibility for the agricultural crisis, from the question of the industrialization of practices, to an environmental question. By saying « It's the fault of standards, controls and ecologists »they deflected the anger and turned the situation around.

However, all the scientific data shows us that controls and sanctions are very weak. Industrial agriculture massively destroys soil and biodiversity, in proportions that we have never seen before. This activity must be reformed and return to agroecological, human practices and short circuits. It is also in the interest of farmers. We must stop saying that agricultural problems are linked to environmental constraints, this is false !

In all cases, the anti-environmental measures taken by the government have not succeeded in putting out the fire…

Yes, but what is even more serious is that this logic has no limits. Rural coordination and FNSEA say that if it did not work last year, it is because we did not go far enough in deregulation. They want to unravel environmental law even further. This is actually what happens to us.

Recently, the government has undermined all regulations on hedges and wetlands, it has abandoned the protection and restoration of waterways, it has simplified the construction of megabasins and increased the number of exemptions for water projects. intensive breeding. He decriminalized environmental protection. In the agricultural law that we are being told, the government wants to continue in the same direction.

Read also: Destruction of biodiversity: “ A message of impunity is sent by the government »

We continue to hit the wall: we degrade the working conditions of farmers, we reduce their income, we exclude them from the local social fabric and we support industrial agriculture to the detriment of organic agriculture, which is the solution. It's desperate. We lost 80 % of our insects, 30 % of our birds, in a few decades… What more do we need to react ?

Let us remember that many farmers, particularly industrialists, only survive thanks to public aid. The first assisted people in France were this type of agriculture. When you benefit from large subsidies, the least you can do is accept that there is control over how the money is used. We cannot say « Leave us alone », « Let us work » and at the same time « Give us the money ». Without any compensation.

We cannot destroy the environment and pollute the waters, quietly, it is not understandable. When we exploit agricultural land and our activity has consequences on the environment, on people's health, on biodiversity and water quality, on beaches soiled with green algae, it is normal that we are responsible for his actions to society.

How to tackle the structural causes that affect and violate the agricultural world ? What supporting role can play FNE ?

We should first remember that it is not two opposing camps, farmers versus environmentalists. This caricature harms the debate we must have. We work all year round and permanently with farmers' unions, producers, agricultural distributors, etc. In the Nourrir collective, we all bring alternative solutions together, with numerous proposals on the remuneration of farmers, on employment, on the quality of life, etc. Agriculture can be ecological, we must initiate a real transition to take into account the reality of climate change and the collapse of biodiversity.

We cannot continue to build mega-basins and intensive irrigated agriculture when we know that in France, within twenty years, we will have 20 to 40 % less water available due to global warming ! Agriculture is the third sector emitting greenhouse gases. There is an urgent need to act ! This can be joyful and positive if this transition is well supported politically and socially. So let us not deceive ourselves in fighting or in anger.