“Farmers are taking back their destiny”: interview with MEP Irène Tolleret the day after Attal’s announcements

Irène Tolleret, eurodéputée et vigneronne dans l'Hérault. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

Hérault MEP Irène Tolleret reacts to government announcements to appease the anger of farmers the day after the demonstration in front of the prefecture of Montpellier. 

Are the government's announcements up to par ? 

The emergency measures announced by Gabriel Attal meet the expectations of farmers. Both on the shock of simplification, the derogation from fallows and the clarity on free trade agreements. Above all, the government is attacking the prices charged in supermarkets and these centers which circumvent the Egalim law. We need a Marshall plan for agriculture. The Spanish did put wine in the constitution. This movement reminds us that France is a great peasant force. Wine, champagne, lavender fields, gastronomy are French excellence. We must respect producers. 

You and your husband run a wine farm in Hérault. Did you feel the rumble rising ?

Yes of course, it is not from yesterday. Since 2017, I have been following the agritwittos, an association created to fight against agribashing. Agriculture is not represented on TV the way I experience it through my family activities. It's incredible that we are here today when French attractiveness is linked to our landscapes and agricultural products. 

What was the trigger ?

The vase never stops overflowing. The movement has a national scope, including in regions or sectors which are not in difficulty. Some sectors are doing very well, others are struggling. The problems are financial and administrative, but it is the place of agriculture that needs to be rethought. Today farmers want to take back control of their destiny. We will all get through this together: Europe, France, the regions, the chain stores, the citizens…

The Pac is regularly singled out. What mechanisms need to be changed ?

The Common Agricultural Policy represents the main budget of the EU with 9 billion euros. This is the first year of implementation of this Pac which covers 2021-2027. We must see what poses a problem: its realization or the new geopolitical situation with the war in Ukraine for example.  

Farmers want to make a living from their profession, why can't we set floor prices ?

In the new regulation voted for protected geographical indications, there are major advances on prices. The Egalim law is a means of achieving this provided that the big brands do not hijack it. There is pressure on the negotiations, buyers are all ordering price reductions. More controls are needed.

The importation of agricultural products is at the heart of the anger with countries like Spain or Italy whose charges are lower…

The ordering party is at least the consumer or the supermarket which offers wines and goods at lower prices on the shelves. The solution is in their hands. Sector contracts with local producers must be put in place. 

Viticulture and organic agriculture are in crisis due, among other things, to the drop in consumption: was this anticipated ?

The decline in consumption of red wine and organic products has accelerated. The drop in consumption is inevitable. In our region we have lost the momentum which allowed us to launch the Pays d’Oc and the different wines. A single interprofessional organization is missing. Producers are mixed, collective training policies are needed to generate margins. In Italy, the Spritz, an inter-professional operation, made it possible to sell quantities of Prosecco for example.

Is emergency aid the right answer ?

The CAP aid which is due must be paid as quickly as possible to the most vulnerable farmers. There are those dedicated to income and those for investment as part of the greening of the CAP. It is the control of these eco-regimes which may have fallen behind. 

The efforts requested in terms of environmental standards are being called into question by farmers, should we reconsider ?

Farmers are the first impacted by climate change. Due to a lack of information and the fact that we voted on a lot of texts very quickly, they have the impression that we are adding constraints to them. Many agree with texts that we voted on as part of "Farm to fork" : the supply and food security intervention plan, the "fast tracks" on the authorization of alternative phytosanitary products such as biocontrols. Others need to be reviewed in light of the war in Ukraine. 

You are putting your mandate as MEP back on the line in June: are you a candidate for succession ?

I don't want to let my friends go in battle. Neither the farmer friends who are of public utility, nor those who wanted to re-enchant Europe. We need more Europe to avoid overtransposition. 

I subscribe to read more