Farmers set fire to Bordeaux to make their anger heard

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On Monday November 18, 2024, the anger of the farmers rumbled in the city center of Bordeaux. The FNSEA and the Young Farmers led a strong action on the Quai des Chartrons to make their demands heard.

They lit a “fire of anger” in the center, to protest in particular against the signing of European agreements which would put the sector in danger.

7:30 p.m.: end of live

It's time for us to close this live. Thank you for following the mobilization of farmers with Bordeaux news. See you tomorrow, Tuesday November 19, for a new live broadcast on the mobilization of Rural Coordination from 6:15 a.m.

7:25 p.m.: the prefect of Gironde speaks

The prefect of Gironde Étienne Guyot arrived on site. When speaking, he wanted to reassure farmers : “You have in front of you someone who is ready to help you as much as possible, and you know it.” He was then invited to have a drink and eat a snack with the mobilized people.

7:10 p.m.: farmers stay until the blaze goes out

Representatives of Young Farmers and the FNSEA should meet the prefect at 7:30 p.m.

In the meantime, on Quai des Chartrons, the others uncork a few bottles and grill sausages on the brazier until they finish burning, at the end of the evening – “so that no trace of our passage remains”, launches the secretary general of the FNSEA.

The prefecture has planned the end of the mobilization around 11 p.m.

7 p.m.: “Hearts burning”

Following the igniting of the “fire of anger”, the secretary general of the FNSEA of Gironde Serge Bergeon spoke. “The JA had started to turn over the signs to say that we are walking on our heads,” he began. Today we continue to walk on our heads and hands are bleeding and hearts are burning. »

He assures that “of the 70 measures to which the government was committed, barely 25 to 35% were respected”. Act II, he insists, will be done with consumersbecause it is “they who decide: when they buy a bottle of wine at a low price they are killing agriculture”.

He also insisted on the uncertain future of winegrowers. Pointing to the pyre, he explains that “all the vines that you see there burning are also the economy going up in smoke. » And to finish with a striking image: “One hectare of vines is direct employment in France. We have uprooted more than 10,000 hectares in Gironde and it's not over. »

6:05 p.m.: the “fire of anger” is lit

The farmers present have just lit the “fire of anger” on the Quai des Chartrons.

5:20 p.m.: firefighters on site

The igniting of a “fire of anger” is planned around 6 p.m. with the blaze of vine stocks and hay already dumped by farmers. “A hundred people” are expected on the platforms. Firefighters are already on site and ready to intervene.

5:15 p.m.: “It’s a bit like the fires of despair”

Vincent Bouges, vice-president of the Young Farmers of Gironde, explains on the microphoneBordeaux news that this action “is a bit like the fires of despair”. A year after the first mobilizations, he regrets that “very little has progressed, particularly in terms of the Mercosur agreements (…) which will bring distortions of competition and create a more serious crisis within [nos] sectors”.

Today, farmers want to “show inconsistency between comments that praise agriculture” and the lack of response to their requests. ” It is Act I of our mobilizationwe still remain benevolent, on symbolic actions, but determined to move things forward. »

4:55 p.m.: hay dumped on Quai des Chartrons

Arriving at Chartrons, the farmers have just dumped hay and vines on the quays. They constitute a brazier which should be ignited around 6 p.m.

4:37 p.m.: mobilized farmers arrive in town

Mobilized farmers from the FNSEA and Young Farmers have just passed the Chaban-Delmas bridge. They head towards the Quai des Chartrons where they plan to “light a fire of anger”.

4:30 p.m.: farmers will meet the prefect this evening

After their arrival in town around 5 p.m., representatives of the FNSEA and Young Farmers should meet the prefect of Gironde around 7:30 p.m., according to his schedule. It is not specified whether the meeting will take place at the prefecture.

4 p.m.: reasons for anger

The dates of mobilization of farmers are not trivial. These are the potential signing dates of the accords EU-Mercosur at the G20 summit, against which they are fighting.

Once signed, the agreements should enable facilitate the import of agricultural products from Latin America. And this could have a direct impact on consumers' purchasing power.

The vice-president of the Young Farmers of Gironde explained to Bordeaux news : “I want us to be able to have quality and accessible food. Today, the French can buy a Camembert for 2 euros in a supermarket or from a cheesemonger for 6 euros. Tomorrow it will be 10 or 12 euros minimum. »

In addition to opposition to Mercosur, agricultural unions are demanding administrative simplifications and measures of cash to support farms.

2:30 p.m.: what are the farmers planning?

The farmers will leave their farms to go to Bordeaux, in the “North quays sector near Chartrons from 4:00 p.m.”, explains the prefecture. On the side of the mobilized farmers, we are talking more about a meeting at 6 p.m. near the Bourse Maritime.

Throughout their entire itinerary, which remains imprecise at present, traffic difficulties are to be expected. However, they should not arrive by tractor – unlike the Rural Coordination, which is organizing a convoy of tractors and light vehicles on Tuesday the 19th in the morning from Créon.

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