Why the situation is still explosive among farmers

Months have passed, but The unions assure that the situation has not changed. They continue to put pressure on the government. “We are waiting for a law from them. A roadmap was made by the European Union and it is a positive step forward. But six months later, we have no developments, we have no feedback. They need to take serious positions and have a vision for the future. Where we are going, how we are going there and why.”declares Thibaut Renaud, regional vice-president of Young Farmers of Burgundy Franche-Comté.

We are in the same state as during the revolt.

Cedric Vidal

Spokesperson for the Saône-et-Loire peasant confederation

“Expectations remain the same,” assures Cédric Vidal, spokesperson for the peasant confederation of Saône-et-Loire. What they gave us were band-aids. They injected millions of euros, but if you divide that by the number of farmers in France… We are in the same state as during the revolt, because today we have not resolved the fundamental problems.”

Farmers in particular denounce an administrative part that is far too complex to manage. “DOn a farm, you would need a full-time secretary to get by. Many farmers miss out on assistance. I am on RSA and I do not live off my farm, it makes you wonder if I should continue.”he continues.

Dissolution of the assembly, new government… recent political events have shaken up French agriculture. “We are worried. Our current situation requires a complete overhaul of agricultural policy. For this, we must launch a multi-year plan very quickly. Currently, we are not in a situation where the government will be able to launch a long-term change.”underlines Thierry-James Facquer, president of the Rural Coordination of Burgundy Franche-Comté.

2024 is a dark year. After this standoff with the government, French agriculture has had a very complicated summer. “In viticulture, they are going to have one of the worst years in a very long time. In large-scale cultivation, The end-of-year crops will not balance the huge losses of the summer. In livestock farming, we are affected by bluetongue. It will have a financial and technical impact in the long term. We will have direct losses, it will be enormous.”estimated Thibaut Renaud.

Agriculture must therefore face this viral disease, which affects sheep, cattle and goat farms. Breeders must therefore review their priorities. “We are bothered by bluetongue at the moment, so we don’t talk about it. That’s kind of the subject, without forgetting our demands. It’s grafted onto other problems.”explain Cédric Vidal, spokesperson for the Peasant Confederation of Saône-et-Loire.

“Breeders will be focused on their livestock rather than their business. We think first of our animals that are sick. There is a time for everything, we can’t be at the top of our game.”adds Thibaut Renaud.

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