Anger of farmers: the Pont-Saint-Esprit roundabouts, “strategic points to block”

Several roundabouts in Pont-Saint-Esprit were occupied by farmers on Monday. M.T.

Edith Cabello, representative of the FDSEA of Ardèche, Monday in Pont-Saint-Esprit. M.T.

Yves Julien, agriculteur à Pont-Saint-Esprit. M.T.

Lundi 29 janvier, les agriculteurs ont occupé dans la matinée les ronds-points de la zone de Pont-Saint-Esprit, pour bloquer le Gard, l'Ardèche et le Vaucluse.

Monday morning, around 6:30 a.m., in Pont-Saint-Esprit, farmers from Gard, Ardèche and Vaucluse decided to filter trucks at the four roundabouts in the city, creating heavy traffic jams in the direction of Vaucluse, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Ardèche and in the city center of Pont-Saint-Esprit.

"Pont-Saint-Esprit is a strategic point, between Ardèche, Vaucluse and Gard. Trucks that want to reach the Nationale 7 are blocked" explained  Monday morning Edith Cabello, farmer in Saint-Marcel d'Ardèche. "Today on the roundabouts, there are market gardeners, arborists, wine growers, everything that is plant-based". 

This representative of the FDSEA in Ardèche, who, since last Wednesday, has demonstrated in Lamotte-du-Rhône, in Montélimar south, in Bollène and in Viviers, ;waited to see what would be decided during the day. "Gabriel Attal gave a few scoops, no social, fiscal, phytosanitary measures…" regrets this daughter and granddaughter of farmers.  

"There are around 120 farmers this morning with around sixty tractors. We took over four roundabouts in Pont-saint-Esprit to create a massive blockade of goods transport, to prevent trucks from returning to Paris" underlined for his part Yves Julien, Spiripontain farmer and coordinator of the movement. "We surround the city and blockade the three regions".  

Later, in the afternoon, part of the demonstrators retreated to a roundabout on the road leading from Pont-Saint-Esprit to Bollène, continuing truck screening. "We let the local population pass". 

At the same time, the situation became tense in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, with lines of trucks all over the town. "It's not due to our blocking" insisted Yves Julien.