“Europe was wrong”, assures Dominique Fayel, former president of the FDSEA in Aveyron

On en est arrivé à une Europe agricole qui recule, et notamment en ce qui concerne la France. – José A. Torres

Dominique Fayel gives us his feelings about this conflagration in agricultural Europe.

The Senergue breeder, with his comrades in Tanus on Wednesday evening, observes what is happening all over Europe.

From your CopaCogeca headquarters, how do you analyze the current situation ?
Exactly the same as the national prism. This is the result of an accumulation of inconsistencies and absences of vision. The European Commission, but not only that, lived in an illusion. Said that the food crisis was not a subject, just as she said that for energy not long ago, and just as she thought that peace was achieved everywhere…hellip ; Little by little we land on earth and it’s painful. But many have not yet landed. As evidenced by this sum of incoherent decisions made from contradictory injunctions, with incredible normative inflation. No one is supposed to ignore the law, but today there are so many laws…hell. But this is not specific to agriculture, this normative inflation concerns so many sectors.

Is agricultural Europe sick ?
I would rather say that she took the wrong direction, without ever seeking objectives. Let's go back five years, to the European elections. The speech was: the great ecological shift. OK… but without impact assessment on production potential. We lived with an illusion. Europe is the only one to have done like this. We have arrived at an agricultural Europe that is in decline, particularly with regard to France. Today, we must start again on new bases with a Europe concerned with feeding its fellow citizens and participating in the global food balance. I remind you that the spark of the Arab Spring was the food crisis. Not participating in the global food balance means being sure of disorder in the neighborhood. Europe has somehow forgotten that agriculture is simply a strategic point, considering that farmers are more the problem than the solution.

Among the many distortions, there is that around the environment…

But because the decisions were made unilaterally. We shot ourselves in the foot. We set important standards at home which are not imposed on those whose products we import. Result: we import pollution. We must act realistically on this subject. More broadly, it is the European population that is living in a dream. The farmers are waiting for concrete actions to stop the movement.

Which for example ?

It’s very complicated. Today, it is the doctrine that must be changed. On the one hand, we must return to the political foundations established for several years, even decades. There needs to be a broader review. In terms of breeding, today we only face bans of all kinds. However, the important thing is to give a direction, objectives. It is now urgent to redefine them, with coherent objectives. And put in the financial means that go with it. They are there. We obviously need to stop this normative inflation to get back to basics. There are essential measures and those that are accessory. Standards are markers of progress, but when there are too many, it’s a blockage. And here we are. With the result, a drop in production.

Are the grievances heard about dams in France the same everywhere in Europe ?

There may be different contexts, but overall the perception is the same… The movement is therefore not ready to stop according to you ? I am not in government, but I know that there are signals to be given. And farmers are not crazy, they will know how to spot the announcements that are made to appease temporarily and those that can last over time. Now, today, I say it again, we need a change of direction.