Why you have to go to the Mediterranean Agricultural Show: Christophe Morgo, mayor of Villeveyrac, praises its specificities

Maire de Villeveyrac, Christophe Morgo est fier d’accueillir le premier Salon des agricultures méditerranéennes, vendredi 14 et samedi 15 juin. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Le 1er Salon des agricultures méditerranéennes se tiendra ces vendredi 14 et samedi 15 juin, à Villeveyrac. Le maire, Christophe Morgo, en précise les contours et rappelle les spécificités de sa commune.

Hosting an agricultural show in a town of 4,000 inhabitants, what does that mean for you?

Pride. And a little worry. Pride because Villeveyrac is perhaps the most agricultural commune in the Hérault department. There's a story. After the various crises, wine growers diversified their activity. Today, there are vines, of course, but also market gardening, arboriculture, livestock and this is what gives the town its charm. It lists all the fruits and vegetables found nationally: salads and potatoes in winter, asparagus, strawberries, apricots, peaches for a few weeks…hellip ; Farmers sell their products either on the doorstep or in markets. In Rodez, Michel Bras is the first customer and he buys his fruit and asparagus from a producer in Villeveyrac. They can also be found at the Halle aux grains, the restaurant that the chef opened in Paris.

The formula "Villeveyrac, granary of the Thau basin", is flourishing. Is it justified ?

Yes. We are lucky to have water with underground galleries and significant volumes of water. We have a water reservoir of 350,000 m3. And, in addition, for two years now, we have had the Aqua Domitia network. This makes it possible to have 1,000 irrigable hectares in the commune. So the formula is justified. During the summer, the well-stocked Monday farmers' market offers very high quality products.

In Villeveyrac, we have assets and, without any chauvinism, an extraordinary environment with land and nature protected over the years.

What do you say to those who say that it’s less sexy and prestigious to go to Villeveyrac for an Agricultural Show than to go to Villeveyrac for an Agricultural Show? in Sète or Marseillan ?

The problem is that there is no agriculture in Sète and Marseillan. There is of course the sea and oyster farming but not the land. In Villeveyrac, there will be direct contact with local producers of fruit, vegetables, meat and cheese. And then we have a protected environment of 3,700 hectares with two Natura 2,000 sites and animal and plant species that are rarely found elsewhere. We have assets and, without any chauvinism, an extraordinary environment with land and nature protected over the years. Visitors will be able to see for themselves in what environment the fruits and vegetables are produced.

What do you hope for from this Mediterranean Agriculture Show ?

That there will be people, already. That it will become a departmental and even regional showcase. And that it will last. We often think that an Agriculture Show is about livestock farming. But it's not just that: there are fruits and vegetables, but also shellfish farmers and fishing. It is a whole that highlights the entire territory of Thau: the sea, the pond and the land.

The French supported the latest farmers' movement. But misunderstandings remain between the agricultural world and the population. Is this Show an opportunity to better understand each other??

Here, we have less of this problem because our farmers sell their products directly to consumers. The explanation is done face-to-face. Like the shellfish farmers, who can explain in their farmhouses why the Thau lagoon was closed and why it has reopened. We can neither cheat nor lie. But that is the aim of the Show: for the visitor to come and meet the farmer and be able to talk with him. What is interesting in Hérault is the diversity. It is a source of pride and a long-term work carried out for decades. The result is there, today: all that is best can be found in our department. And Villeveyrac is a good illustration of this.

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