Agriculture: call to lift blockages after new announcements from Attal

“We have decided that at the moment, in view of everything that has been announced (...), we need to change our modes of action and therefore we are calling on our networks (...) to suspend the blockages and enter into a new form of mobilization", indicated the president of the JA Arnaud Gaillot, alongside the boss of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau, during a press conference in Paris.

This slogan was followed in several departments, whose prefectures have reported lifting of blockades, or at the very least reductions, even if occasional blockages persist, according to Matignon.

At the national level at 19:00 p.m., we are seeing a "very slow decline" in the dams, a police source told AFP, even if "we should not interpret this slowness other than as a bit of a vigil of weapons and communion of farmers who fought for ten days to obtain guarantees".

The farmers left the Cheviré bridge west of Nantes and the dam which cut the A6 at the large Villefranche-sur-Saône toll station north of Lyon. The FDSEA Mayenne announced the lifting of a blockage on the A81 linking Le Mans to Brittany.

Likewise, the convoy that left Agen for Rungis and part of which was blocked by the gendarmes on the Loire bridges will leave again towards the South-West, announced José Perez, co-president of Rural Coordination 47: " We are not going to fight every day against the gendarmerie or against anyone.”

"Fatigue"

Some farmers still need to discuss, but "we feel a desire to pause, to switch to more work mobilization", estimated Arnaud Gaillot on RTL at the start of the evening: "We are not here just to block , it’s not our job, we want to return to our farms, we want to work,” he said, also referring to “fatigue” after 10 days of mobilization.

Among the conditions set by FNSEA and JA for not resuming the movement: "first results" before the Agricultural Show (February 24-March 3) then the adoption of an agricultural orientation and future law as well as European measures by June.

Failing this, “we will not hesitate to re-enter a general mobilization movement,” said Mr. Gaillot.

Thursday noon, Mr. Attal, for his third round of announcements in a week, listed measures which according to him meet "a large part of the expectations" of farmers.

Among these is a strengthening of the Egalim laws which aim to prevent producers from bearing the brunt of the fierce price war between supermarkets on the one hand, and distributors and suppliers of the agro-industry on the other.

Bercy also formalized on Thursday the early opening of the annual campaign for partial reimbursement of taxes on non-road fuels.

According to the Ministry of the Economy, emergency measures for farmers represent some 400 million euros in total. Mr. Attal mentioned on Thursday 150 million euros in tax and social support for cattle breeders.

On phytosanitary measures, the government also let go, promising in particular that the Ecophyto plan aimed at reducing the use of pesticides would be put "on pause". This measure has been described as a “major setback” by environmental NGOs.

At a press conference following a summit in Brussels, President Emmanuel Macron for his part affirmed that Ukrainian grain imports would also be affected by a “reinforced safeguard mechanism” at the European level, allowing for “intervention” in the event of price destabilization.

The Peasant Confederation continues

Mr. Macron also asked the European Commission to achieve “concrete and tangible simplifications from the end of February” in favor of farmers. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised a proposal to "reduce the administrative burden" on farmers.

Mr. Attal had received agricultural unions in recent days, including the FNSEA at length but also on Wednesday morning the Rural Coordination, second agricultural union, and the Confédération paysanne, third.

“For us, the movement has lasted long enough, the objectives have been achieved (…) everyone is aware of the files we are carrying,” explained Thursday evening to AFP the secretary general of Rural Coordination Christian Convers, in announcing the departure from the Paris region of its members from Lot-et-Garonne, some of whom were arrested in Rungis on Wednesday.

“If there are those in the departments who want to continue, that is their business,” added the manager, estimating that given the progress obtained, “a few days of additional mobilization will bring nothing, except to embarrassment to the population.

The Peasant Confederation, on the other hand, called on Thursday evening to "continue the mobilization" because "the fundamental question of income" is "still not taken head-on by the government" according to it.

The aid released on Wednesday by the French government, like the concessions from the European Commission (on fallow land and Ukrainian imports), did not seem to find favor in the eyes of the profession, also mobilized in Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece and since Thursday in Portugal.

“A thousand tractors or agricultural machinery” blocked several streets in the Belgian capital on Thursday, according to the police.

With the decline in mobilization in France also comes the time of reckoning: the actions of farmers last week caused 400.000 euros of damage in the Agen area, according to the mayor. The bill also amounts to hundreds of thousands of euros in other areas across the country, notably in Haute-Vienne and Côtes-d'Armor.