the essential
This Tuesday, November 19, farmers from the four corners of Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées took to the road, towards Place de la Libération, in Auch, for a new mobilization. This time she responded to the call from Rural Coordination. Meetings with private and public actors from the agricultural world were improvised.
“You can never answer.” Liberation Square is occupied. Just one night after the actions in the city center of Auch by Young Farmers and the FDSEA, Rural Coordination took over this Tuesday. After speaking with the prefect of Gers behind closed doors, Lionel Candelon, Gers president of CR Occitanie, went to meet the public actors who had come to the site.
A heated exchange took place with a Groupama employee who came to discuss insurance with farmers. In his sights: the payment of harvest insurance. “How can we tolerate today that we can impose a date on work conditioned by the weather? And behind, we tell the farmers that they have not respected the dates and that we cannot take into account responsible for their multi-risk climate files, we are going in circles,” laments Lionel Candelon.
DDM – SEBASTIEN LAPEYRERE
Helpless, the emissary of the private insurer tries to calm the situation. “I hear your comments, but I cannot answer you point blank: there is a regulatory framework to which we are subject.” But nothing helps, the tone rises.
“When we are late, we take a 10% penalty”
Farmers, through the leader of CR32, also made some complaints to the MSA, agricultural social security, regarding payment files by the CAP. Once again, it's a blank. No response is provided.
Also read:
VIDEO. Anger of farmers: “We want to make the movement long-term, without mobilizing our farmers for entire days”
“When we are told about delays in documents to be able to be paid, it is unthinkable. When we are late, we take a penalty of 10%. The same thing should be applied to public and private administrations. On the file social, you have always been there, but not on the administrative side, like on the amount of contributions, not at all!”
DDM – SEBASTIEN LAPEYRERE
At the end of the afternoon, the departmental president of Rural Coordination spoke with the bosses of Auscitaine supermarkets. Lidl, Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché: many responded. “Today, there are things that we noticed in your stores that we don't like at all. In a short time, there will be no more local products, judge Lionel Candelon. If your stores want our products , we will have to work on it, I know that there are efforts being made, but we always find big aberrations Today, the farmers can't take it anymore.”
Also read:
DECRYPTION. Anger of farmers: can France defeat the contested agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries?
“Paralyze and starve Toulouse”
Last October, the Gers Rural Coordination already promised to “paralyze and starve Toulouse” if the responses provided by the government to farmers' demands were absent. Opposed to the signing of the Mercosur free trade agreement, like other agricultural unions, Rural Coordination also calls for a reduction in the charges weighing on farmers.
Also read:
VIDEO. “The bins arrived full but they will leave empty”: the Gers Rural Coordination threatens to “sanction” private and public actors
Less than a year after a historic mobilization, the action of this Tuesday, November 19 could increase in tone at the start of the evening. After a morning of setting up, building a straw camp on Place de la Libération, waiting… The farmers are thirsty for action. “If we don’t have answers, there will be punishments in the evening,” assured Lionel Candelon in the morning.
Also read:
Anger of farmers: “We will use the necessary means, too bad for the consequences”, dozens of tractors reached the Gers prefecture
On the side of elected officials, after Philippe Dupouy yesterday, the departmental councilor of the canton of Fezensac (right-wing opposition) Emeline Lafon, the vice-president of the departmental council Jean-Pierre Cot and the 1st vice-president Céline Salles were present alongside demonstrators this Tuesday.
Finally, despite the reinforcement of colleagues from Haut-Pyrénées, the farmers mobilized this Tuesday, November 19 were far from the 150 announced. According to police figures, there were 70 people demonstrating, supported by 24 tractors and 22 trailers. Enough to leave a trace of their passage in the capital of Gers…
