Green algae here on the banks of the Rance in Plouër-sur-Rance, in Ille-et-Vilaine, in August 2017. – C. Allain / 20 Minutes
The regional elections should take place on June 20 and 27. After several days of consultation, the government opted to keep the ballot before the summer. In Brittany as elsewhere, the lists are trying to exist while the Covid-19 epidemic is shaking up the countryside. In the region, it is a subject that comes up often on the table. That of the intensive agricultural model and by rebound, green algae.
In the region, many associations are counting on this election to shed light on their struggles. Saturday, it is through the voice of its president that the Safeguarding of Trégor Goëlo Penthièvre association wanted to express its anger. In a letter addressed to the Court of Auditors and identified through The Telegram, Yves-Marie Le Lay regrets that the report on the cost of green algae is not published until the end of June, at the same time as the regional election. “The voters of Brittany have the right to know what use of public money has been made by candidates who stand for their votes”, believes the president who invites the magistrates to advance their publication. “It is easy to understand that all those responsible for this mismanagement are in no hurry for their very bad use of public money to be disclosed during this electoral period”, criticizes the association.
“More restrictive measures” demanded
The question of the cost of the successive plans of fight will undoubtedly be scrutinized closely by the experts of the file. According to the association, it would be around 110 to 120 million euros. Seized by Eau et rivières de Bretagne, the administrative court of Rennes must soon rule on the effectiveness of the program. The public rapporteur, whose opinion is generally followed, considered that the measures were insufficient, asking for “more restrictive measures” to fight against nitrates of agricultural origin which pollute rivers and generate green tides for many years. years.
This policy of struggle, if it is steered by the State, could be prejudicial to certain candidates for the elections, like Thierry Burlot. Considered to be the “green algae mister” of the regional council, the deputy vice-president for water policy presents himself under the LREM label and will be expected on the subject. Just like the outgoing president, the socialist Loïg Chesnais-Girard. In Brittany more than elsewhere, the environment will be at the heart of the regional debate.