After two and a half mandates at the head of the Chamber of Agriculture, the current president Jacques Molières will hand over during the next elections which will be held next January. Monday, November 25, 2024, he will chair his last session of the Chamber of Agriculture with a necessarily particular look at the crisis that the profession is currently going through.
Monday November 25, 2024, Jacques Molières will chair his last session of the Chamber of Agriculture. After two mandates, the man who succeeded Jean Laurens in November 2010, approaches this new stage “calmly” with the feeling of “duty accomplished even if there are still things to do”. But the demonstrations which have agitated the agricultural world since last spring and which have resumed in recent days, with the upcoming signing of the Mercosur trade agreement which has rekindled the fire that was smoldering under the embers, do not leave the president of the chamber which keeps a close eye on the situation and its evolution.
Farmers will soon have to hire a secretary to complete all the paperwork asked of them
Do you understand why farmers returned to the streets after the demonstrations last spring?
We can clearly see that administrative simplification, one of the demands of last spring, has not been implemented. Farmers will soon have to hire a secretary to complete all the paperwork asked of them. Then, there are obviously sectors which suffer more than others: organic, certain livestock farming, etc. And on top of that, the Mercosur trade agreement complicates everything. We can fear for our livestock.
The Mercosur trade agreement complicates everything
Could we not think that with the elections to the Chamber of Agriculture approaching, the unions would not also choose to mobilize to cast their votes?
As president of the Chamber of Agriculture, it is not up to me to say this, the question must be asked directly to the unions. But, currently, the crisis is serious enough for farmers to take to the streets and I completely understand them. Then, each union positions itself differently in relation to this electoral deadline.
My successor must maintain unity in the profession
Monday, November 25, you will chair your last session of the Chamber of Agriculture. What feeling does you have after spending two terms at its head?
Everything is not perfect of course and there will always be work to do. But, with the teams, I think we were able to maintain a balance between the farms and the production tool. I remind you that Aveyron still has 7,500 farms and more than 10,000 farmers. Today, agriculture accounts for 30% of Aveyron's GDP and almost a quarter of Occitanie's economy.
This is considerable and this weight should not be underestimated. To maintain this position, I think that my successor will have to focus on working with everyone, whether farmers but also state services, and maintain this unity in the profession. When I was asked to head the Chamber of Agriculture, I set several conditions, notably that of giving priority to the marketing of our production. Our role is not just to collect bonuses. We need to consolidate this image regarding our products. I have always said that Aveyron would disappear if we did like everyone else.
The major challenge, the renewal of generations
Do you think it is still possible to maintain this unity in a profession which appears, on certain issues, to be divided?
Yes, I think so. When I took over as president of the Chamber of Agriculture, things were not easy either. I have always preferred consensus to compromise. And that takes time and discussion. We must not lose the link with the field, with the reality of our agriculture.
What will be the major challenge facing the next president of the Chamber of Agriculture?
It will be that of the renewal of generations. Today, almost half of farmers are over 50 years old. But our efforts have made it possible to place the Aveyron department among those where there are the most facilities.
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