the essential
The elections to the Chamber of Agriculture of Lot-et-Garonne will be held at the end of January 2025. The FDSEA and the Young Farmers (JA) have finally decided to present a list.
While the agricultural revolt rumbles in the countryside of Lot-et-Garonne, the elections to the Chamber of Agriculture will take place at the end of January 2025. The farmers of the department will vote to elect the successor of Serge Bousquet-Cassagne ( Rural Coordination) to the presidency of the very important consular chamber.
After hesitation, the FDSEA 47 and the Young Farmers (JA 47) decided to put together a list to dethrone CR 47, whose candidacy is led by Patrick Franken. “Our list is not yet finalized. We are in the process of finalizing it, and we will have all the names in the coming weeks,” indicates Alain Brifeille, president of the Departmental Federation of Agricultural Operators’ Unions (FDSEA 47).
“More transparency and fairness in the House”
As the agricultural vote approaches, the FDSEA wants to bring “more transparency and fairness” to the House. Above all, it wishes to stand out from the Rural Coordination and the Peasant Confederation by emphasizing the “apolitical” side of the union, “which is not the case with our competitors”, affirms Alain Brifeille.
“We are open to discussion with political figures from all sides,” continues the boss of FDSEA 47. “At FDSEA and among JA 47, we have chosen the path of dialogue. This is why we invited the elected officials of the department to a field day this Friday, November 9. Also present were the prefect, the sub-prefect of Marmande, the director of the DDETSPP and the DDT. The secretary general of the FNSEA, Hervé Lapie, was also present to provide an update on the Parisian negotiations. It’s not in Agen that everything is decided, unfortunately…”
But for the moment, “priority to the files, the elections of the chambers will come in due time. Our priority is to manage the current agricultural crises,” the president of the FDSEA 47 insisted. For the farmer, three major problems emerge in Lot-et-Garonne: the wine crisis, the devastation in the crops of hazelnut and the basic problem concerning the products and the income of farmers. “We have no income and we are bombarded by controls and all the administrative procedures,” explains Alain Brifeille.
The president of FDSEA 47 also wishes to meet the new Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard. “The FDSEA and the JA 47 went to obtain these achievements in Paris,” declares Alain Brifeille. “So, my bags are ready, Mrs. Genevard. We are responsible people, we do not want war, we simply want to fight to exist! »
“Some requests take time to materialize”
“For many months now, our demands have been on the desk of the Ministry of Agriculture,” adds the leader of the minority union in Lot-et-Garonne. “The gains are trickling in. The latest: no more than one inspection per farm per year, at the discretion of the prefects. But certain requests, more priority ones, take time to materialize. They are undoubtedly more difficult to put in place, but these delays fan the still smoldering embers of the protests at the start of the year. When are we going to attack farmers' income? When are we going to tackle unfair competition? The implementation of mirror clauses? When will we apply the “no ban without solution” rule in terms of phytosanitary products? When will we stop wanting to sign free trade treaties where agriculture is a bargaining chip? Some issues are Franco-French, others are European, but our leaders have the means to act at all levels. »
