Agricultural crisis: The demonstration of force of the farmers of Lodévois and Larzac
|Les tracteurs ont défilé en cortège.
La démonstration de force des agriculteurs du Lodévois et Larzac
Ils ont débarqué s'étaient donnés rendez-vous dès 7 h 30 hier à Lodève avant de défiler en ville pour manifester devant la sous-préfecture. Retour sur une matinée mouvementée.
Agriculture occupies an important and historical part in Lodévois and Larzac. Proof of this is the mobilization and spectacular demonstration of winegrowers, market gardeners, producers and other breeders who came unitedly to express their discontent in Lodève this Thursday morning where 50 tractors surrounded the sub-prefecture. They wanted to be seen and heard, it was successful!
From 7:30 a.m. tractors from the north and south took position around the Pont de Celles and the Bourse on the Lergue Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
"It’is a movement which started from a few winegrower friends in Puech, relayed by farmers from Lodévois and breeders from the plateau", says winemaker Lionel Lacroux, surprised by the scale of the movement. "We also wanted to make ourselves heard, in a calm and peaceful manner and, in addition to national demands, bring more local issues to the table of the sub-prefect"< /em>.
The procession made a tour of the city supervised by the gendarmes. Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
35 tractors coming from the Puech gathering points in the south and Soubès in the north then converged on the Bourse bridge and the Celles bridge in Lodève around 7:30 a.m. causing big traffic jams.
Winegrowers, producers, market gardeners and breeders came from all over Lodévois and Larzac and the Salagou valley. Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
Supervised by the gendarmerie and the municipal police, under the eye of the deputy present, they then left in procession for a noisy tour of the city before parking on the Esplanade and all around the sub-prefecture, cleared by the police, where around 10 a.m. many mayors and elected officials from the 28 communes of the intermunicipality were waiting for them, as well as the regional councilor, with scarves slung over their shoulders.
The demonstrators were then joined by ten breeders' tractors coming down from Larzac.
A delegation was received for nearly two hours by sub-prefect Eric Suzanne Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
Local demands
"Everyone left their union caps or their commitments for collective mobilization, a great surge of solidarity in order to show that we exist", continues the’ sheep breeder Sophie Pradel, also mayor of Saint-Michel d’Alajou, who was part of the delegation received with some local elected officials by sub-prefect Éric Suzanne.
Winegrower Lionel Lacroux and breeder Sophie Pradel took stock after the interview with the sub-prefect Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
"He was attentive and interested in our respective issues, the wolf and the water as far as we were concerned." adds the breeder.
The tractors displayed the town signs, upside down. Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ
"It’was an opportunity to talk about national news around income and standards, we want to share the value and let us work. But also more local issues with water and irrigation, wolves, pests like wild boars and the unbearable pressure of fashionable agribashing today, summarizes Lionel Lacroux. "We made a joint report with the sub-prefect which will be sent to the prefectfet".