This is the first time that Rural Coordination has claimed action on this side of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. But the agricultural union promised the “chaos” in the South-Westand the Basque Country is not spared. Around fifty tractors therefore took action around midnight, during the night from Thursday to Friday, and dumped tonnes of agricultural waste and slurry on two large-scale distribution stores in Anglet.
The farmers targeted the Promocash and Metro brands. They accuse them of offering meat of foreign origin on their stalls and on their website, in particular lamb of New Zealand origin.
Unfair competition
Most of the demonstrators say they are sheep farmers from the Basque Country. For Benjamin Loste, president of Coordination Rurale 64, these brands must source locally:
“At the moment, as everyone knows, farmers have flat cash flow. They don't know if tomorrow they will still be there. They can no longer tolerate having this unfair competition in businesses near them .”
While part of the farmers' demands relate to current negotiations between the European Union and the Latin American countries of MERCOSURthey fear seeing much cheaper Brazilian or Argentinian products arriving in France, and whose standards are much less restrictive than their own products.
Expected announcements
Annie Genevard, the Minister of Agriculture, yesterday promised impending announcements concerning the simplification of standards, another demand from farmers.
“We were told that we were going to have written progress from the Minister of Agriculture for this morning. We will be attentive to this progress, and we will advise. If we do not have these written progress, it will start again very strongly”threatens Benjamin Loste of CR 64
At the start of the week, farmers “camped” for two days in front of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefecture in Pau. If their anger is not quickly appeased, actions are planned in the Basque Country from next week.
France
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