surprise mobilization of a hundred farmers in Nice

Around a hundred farmers met in Nice this Thursday morning to demonstrate, among other things, against the free trade agreement with Mercosur, reports France Bleu Azur.

Around a hundred farmers from the Alpes-Maritimes are leading a surprise mobilization in Nice on Thursday, November 28, noted France Bleu Azur. The demonstrators met early in the morning in front of Cadam, the departmental administrative center of the Alpes-Maritimes in Nice. They gathered a little before 6 a.m. in front of the building, where they dumped products: wool, manure…

“We had already come in January and in February, we demonstrated twice. Here we are back, but reluctantly, because we thought we had been heard and understood, at least by the decision-makers in our department, especially the mayors. And that's not the case at all“, regrets Jean-Philippe Frère, the president of FDSA 06, interviewed by France Bleu Azur. They are therefore demonstrating again but “with much discontent and bitterness“, he adds.

The FDSEA representative said “more than motivated“and believes that the morning punch operation”is more than successful“The farmers are protesting, among other things, against the free trade project with Mercosur, the South American market, but they also have local demands, such as water.”Despite the Department which has set up a Water Observatory, the prefect of the Water Conference, we cannot do it“, describes Jean-Philippe Frère. He calls for a “single agricultural water pricing for the department“.

“It's about our survival“, he warns, because there are not many farm buyers and the average age of farmers in the Alpes-Maritimes is 58 years old. “In the next six years, we will lose half of itpredicts Jean-Philippe Frère. We've just lost 350 in the last six years, and we're going to lose half more“. Water pricing is essential according to him for farms to be viable: “agricultural water, it is essential and it is an emergency measure of general interest“, he concludes.