“If the anger returns, we won't be able to calm it down”: a tense return to school for the agricultural world

Marie-Hélène Viargues, présidente de la FDSEA lors de l’opération des panneaux renversés. JAT

À l’heure de la rentrée, Marie-Amélie Viargues, présidente de la FDSEA, assure "qu’il n’y a rien pour apaiser le monde agricole."

The start of the school year is looking tense in the agricultural world. On the form at the end of this summer, “a complicated season for hay and harvest”, says Marie-Amélie Viargues, president of the FDSEA, the majority union in Aveyron. And on the substance, “there has been progress but nothing to reassure farmers.”

The actions taken at the beginning of the year remain a dead letter. And it is not the absence of a new government after the dissolution at the beginning of the summer that allows us to see things more clearly… and above all to reassure a profession, recently affected by a new health crisis with the appearance of a case of MHE in the department and the famous FCO.

The dissolution, "a hammer blow"

"We are waiting for political decisions. The dissolution has dealt a blow, a hammer blow. We are ready to meet the State and partners again. We will see what will be taken up…", explains the union leader. She is already making no secret of the fact that anger is brewing again: “The countryside is not peaceful. We are sticking to promises but, in reality, nothing has happened. If anger returns, we will not be able to calm it…”

The unionist also points out that the current inflation primarily affects quality and organic products, which is what makes Aveyron unique and successful. And to come full circle with this complicated season that is repeated when “the fodder indices increase by 5%, or more than 15% in three years, that's a lot of costs that we can't control.”

“Guys are fed up”

Added to this are bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease. “Guys are fed up! We are asking for awareness. The problem is the delays. There is no decision while agriculture is a long time. There have been some shortages for vaccines, it will be resolved but we are asking the State to mass produce to protect the most herds.”

Almost a year after the operation of the inverted panels, the agricultural world still has the impression that the world is turning upside down and that we are walking on our heads. Proof of this is that the vast majority of town entrance signs are still there. And Marie-Amélie Viargues concludes: “We never said we would put them back in place!”