The great dialogue desired by Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show has already suffered a setback. Under pressure in particular from the FNSEA, the Elysée finally preferred, Thursday February 22, not to invite to this discussion the collective of the Uprisings of the Earth, which the government wanted dissolved a few months ago.
At the end of the afternoon, the presidency announced its intention to organize a major exchange between the head of state and “all stakeholders in the agricultural world”, Saturday February 24, opening day of the Agricultural Show, “to outline the future” of the sector. But the organization of this debate modeled on the model of the major discussions set up during the “yellow vests” crisis » was upset by the refusal of the president of the majority agricultural union FNSEA to allow the Earth Uprisings to participate.
“The invitation by the PR [président de la République] at #SIA [Salon international de l’agriculture] of a small group whose dissolution was requested by its own government is an unacceptable provocation for farmers. I agreed to participate in a debate. In these conditions, I refuse to take part in what will only be a charade”, posted, Thursday evening, on the X platformArnaud Rousseau.
The invitation from the collective, described as“ecoterrorist” by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, also provoked the anger of the president of the Young Farmers Arnaud Gaillot. “There is no debate possible with these violent people”, he posted on X, also refusing to participate.
The Elysée finally decided to backpedal with the announcement that the movement was no longer invited “to guarantee the serenity of the debates”. However, the presidency wanted exchanges “open, frank and transparent”, “without filter”, “in a republican state of mind”.
The opposition stepped into the breach. “Definitely, Macron embodies nothing other than confusion, contempt and disorder”, reacted the leader of the far right Marine Le Pen. The president of the Republicans Eric Ciotti denounced him A ““at the same time” Macronist (…) intolerable “.
“Sketch the future”
The debate must last at least two hours and is supposed to bring together the main leaders of the agricultural unions (FNSEA, Young Farmers, Rural Coordination, Peasant Confederation, etc.), but also representatives of large retailers and manufacturers. Several leaders of environmental associations are also invited, such as the Climate Action and Future Generations Network. “All stakeholders will be able to give their point of view, make proposals, compare ideas”promised the presidency.
The delays surrounding this debate come as farmers, angry for several weeks, maintain pressure on the government. The Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, will travel to Charente-Maritime on Friday where he will visit the Royan market and then meet representatives of farmers. On Wednesday, Mr. Attal summarized the dozens of commitments and projects already launched to respond to the anger of the agricultural world. New measures have been announced on visas for foreign seasonal workers, pesticides, with the abandonment of a controversial indicator, and even remuneration.
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These declarations do not prevent several protest actions throughout France. Two tractor parades are planned for Friday in Paris. The first, organized by Rural Coordination, will end around noon near Les Invalides. The second, led by the FNSEA and the Young Farmers, will end in front of the Agricultural Show in the early evening, with a weapons vigil being planned before the doors open on Saturday.
Around a hundred farmers demonstrated Thursday in Arras at the call of the Rural Coordination to demand “acts”. Many of them, interviewed by Agence France-Presse, maintain the feeling of not having been completely heard and the impression of measures having no immediate impact on their activities or their bank account.
“I didn’t think I would go back to the streets again, I would rather be on my farm working”but “announcements have been made and there is still nothing concrete”lamented for example Adrien Spriet, who came to park his tractor in front of the prefecture where a delegation was received in the afternoon.
Several actions in the territory
In Oise, farmers marched in Beauvais on eighty tractors to the prefecture. Snail operations also took place on the roads of this department, at the initiative of 400 farmers, according to the FDSEA. “We are awaiting the intervention of the president [Emmanuel Macron] because what the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, announced does not satisfy us”explained Linda Monnier, director of the FDSEA of Oise.
On Thursday, around twenty actions took place in the territory, a third of which were initiated since Wednesday, according to a police source (blockades of platforms, logistics bases, motorway interchanges, etc.). Prefectures and sub-prefectures were also targeted. According to a police source, Spanish farmers are considering blockades at the border with France next week, hoping to be joined by French farmers.
Brussels again presented new proposals on Thursday to reduce ” pressure “ on farms, relaxing the rules on meadows, limiting the number of checks and granting a certain tolerance in the event of non-compliance with the rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during extreme climatic episodes. These measures, likely to be adopted as early as March, will be examined on Monday by the agriculture ministers of the Twenty-Seven.
The FNSEA recognizes that the show is presented this year “as an eminently political time”. The farmers are “strongly mobilized and attentive to the advances that will be presented to them”, says the union in a press release. But the organization also wants the event to remain a “festive time”.