The Mayor of Chalon sur Saône was this Wednesday morning at the farm of Frédéric Borne, whom he chose as his deputy. He spoke of the lack of progress since the February crisis. But also the delays which persist in the Region in the allocation of European funds.
If some candidates display appropriate smiles, this Wednesday morning in Ecuisses, Gilles Platret and his deputy Frédéric Borne, “despite the seriousness of the situation”, displayed rather happy faces. It must be said that the casting was rather to their advantage: André Accary, president of the departmental council; its vice-president for agriculture, Frédéric Brochot from Autun; Christian Decerle, president of the Regional Chamber of Agriculture, who came in a personal capacity; But also Didier Giraud, the “big mouth”, who says he appreciates the “free speech” of Gilles Platret.
The Mayor of Chalon very deliberately chose a farmer/breeder as his replacement, because he has not forgotten, not only the agricultural crisis, but also its consequences… “In February, agricultural France was on fire. There were announcements. Lots of announcements and promises. What changed ? Nothing ! It’s the opposite of politics!”
Gilles Platret lists the angry subjects. On the EGALIM law, on adaptation to climate change, “and especially on agricultural abandonment. There are fewer and fewer farmers, we produce less and less, while there are more and more people to feed in the world. This puts our planet at risk. Including our landscapes which are shaped and maintained by our farmers.
It is not Frédéric Borne who can say the opposite. The Bornes are in the 5th generation in Ecuisses. He loves genetics and every year he makes eyes shine at the international agricultural show, with his Charolais cattle. He has also long since understood the benefits of short circuit sales. Directly on the farm, or not very far.
Christian Decerle confirms: “Frédéric has always been committed to others. Firstly by being the President of the Young Farmers, but also with a strong commitment to the breeding center where he was able to unite around him. And then I am delighted that a candidate chose a farmer as his alternate. It’s a strong sign!”
Gilles Platret has difficulty hiding his pleasure. But he takes a serious tone when he discusses subjects that are very upsetting: “I reaffirm that there is a pack of wolves in Saône et Loire. We found several traces in the canton of Sennecey le Grand.
The legislative candidate also denounces agri-bashing: “It is not normal to finance activist associations that hurt agriculture and our farmers and breeders.”
And then Gilles Platret comes to the Regional Council of Burgundy – Franche-Comté: “It’s a disaster as far as the redistribution of European aid and subsidies is concerned. It should be completed at the end of June 2025, that is to say in a year. At the current rate, it would take 10 years. This is not acceptable for our farmers. The Region failed everyone. This is the only Region where the State is obliged to come to the rescue!”
Faced with this situation, which he knows like the others, André Accary declares himself “satisfied that Gilles has chosen a very good substitute. My support goes to those who do rather than political labels. This is how I work in the department.”
At the time of sharing coffee, Frédéric Borne draws up an observation: “2024 is the year of lack of recognition of our profession. And that saddens me. I want to believe in the future. I try to encourage young people; I currently have two interns. An Aveyronnais and a Breton. I was honored to have been asked by Gilles in this constituency which is both rural and urban, with the first town in the department. Gilles is a man of action, who says things and that’s what I appreciate. The agricultural crisis, which was international, showed great unease, showed our suffering. It was February. It’s June and there’s still almost nothing. So yes, we need people of action on the ground.”
Alain BOLLERY
: “Farmers deserve more and better than contempt”, asserts Gilles Platret){kind=link}