After a difficult year for the agricultural sector, the Federation of Young Farmers (FJA) is relaunching the mobilization in Wallonia. Faced with disastrous harvests and growing tensions, actions are announced to challenge political leaders on the issues facing agriculture in crisis.
The Federation of Young Farmers (FJA) is angry again and is making it known. During the night from Friday to Saturday, farmers carried out a symbolic action by tagging Walloon roads to express their exasperation.
With hundreds of markings, such as “J-…”, the FJA announces Act II of the agricultural mobilization, nine months after the first rallies.
“The cup is full again”said the FJA in a press release this Saturday morning, adding that farmers, hit by a year marked by multiple crises, are running out of patience.
“We will soon take action”
Mathieu Lebrun, a farmer, spent much of the night writing messages on public roads. He explains: “We are warning the population of our discontent. The farmers are fed up, and it cannot continue like this”.
The FJA estimates that more than 1,000 tags were made that night, carrying the same alert message about upcoming actions.
This movement aims to mobilize before a rally planned for next Wednesday in the European district in Brussels, in which members of the United Federation of Breeders and Farmers Groups (Fugea) will also participate.
Together, farmers will protest in particular against the trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries, which risks impacting their income.
A catastrophic year for crops and the sector
The year was particularly harsh for Walloon farmers, with large drops in yield, according to Mathieu Lebrun.
“This year, we still had a drop in crops of around 30 to 40% and in fruits, up to 50% for some”he laments.
Added to this is the difficult management of bluetongue, which affects herds and worsens the situation of many breeders.
An urgent request for help from the authorities
Farmers are demanding aid for crops, particularly those of beets and cereals, and support for breeders affected by diseases.
Less than 5% of farmers in Wallonia are under 35 years old
The FJA also calls on political decision-makers to act in the face of administrative overload and the growing economic difficulties which threaten the survival of agricultural operations, in particular small family structures.
The federation deplores that “less than 5% of farmers in Wallonia are under 35 years old”an alarming sign for the sustainability of the agricultural sector.
A symbolic action to challenge politicians
This Saturday afternoon, a delegation from the FJA plans to go to Bièvre, where dozens of tractors are due to converge on the town hall to meet the federal Minister of Agriculture, David Clarinval, also impeded mayor of this town.
This face-to-face meeting aims to alert the authorities to the urgency of the situation and to remind people that the promises made during previous mobilizations have not been kept.
The FJA warns: “Without a rapid response from political decision-makers, actions on the ground will be inevitable”.
FJA farmers action Walloon roads
