“These constraints are too much of a dictatorship!” : the president of the Gard sheep union sounds the alarm

Marc Delpuech, president of the Gard sheep union. Free Midi – Tiziana ANNESI

Marc Delpuech, president of the Gard Sheep Union, discusses the agricultural event of Thursday January 25. He delivers his vision of the current crisis.

At the heart of Thursday's agricultural demonstration, in Nîmes, breeders from Gard could swell the ranks of the discontented.

Michel Delpuech, president of the Gard Sheep Union (140 breeders), understands the exasperation that is growing among farmers: "We are impacted by the constraints linked to the Common Agricultural Policy. For sheep farming, it is necessary to justify the aid and clearly identify the plots where the herds are located. If it exceeds or if there is an undeclared plot, there may be penalties. As a breeder, we do the work for the pastures. It’s too much of a dictatorship in terms of the constraints imposed. They are now monitoring with satellites, photos."

Like other sectors of agriculture, breeders have suffered an increase in costs which affects the acquisition of haymaking equipment. The price of fertilizers has exploded since the war in Ukraine, having tripled. The increase also concerns insurance and fuel."

Administrative simplification

If lamb meat is popular for its quality in the Gard, Marc Delpuech does not fail to highlight the competition from New Zealand "which is breaking the market . We produce 40% of the meat sold in France. There are a lot of imports."

The breeder of Sumène would like a simplification of the administrative procedures which weigh on agricultural activity. He thus understands the current anger: "You don't have to wait until you're dead to wake up", he adds as if to better support the Nîmes demonstration on Thursday.

If Gard farmers, like others, are going through a rarely seen crisis, Marc Delpuech is worried for his part about no longer seeing many young breeders settling in Cevennes. "A sheepfold is not for rent to put camper vans there", he says, annoyed.

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