“We will win the elections against co-determination”, “by prices, not bonuses”: The lyrics of the song return again and again, accompanied by images of the demonstrations from earlier in the year. The clip of the Rural Coordination (CR) campaign was widely disseminated on the occasion of the annual congress of this agricultural union, organized this year at the Futuroscope Convention Center, in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (Vienna), on Tuesday the 19th and Wednesday, November 20.
The choice of this municipality to celebrate its 31stmy Congress is not fortuitous. In fact, it is one of the strongholds of the CR that took control of the Vienna Chamber of Agriculture, defeating the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), during the previous elections in 2019. The president of the Chamber of Agriculture of the department, Philippe Tabarin, says he is willing to run again, although he admits that the list has not yet been presented.
This great electoral deadline for the agricultural world, which elects its representatives in the chambers of agriculture every six years, is set for January 31, 2025. All unions are, therefore, in battle order to win over the activists and farmers’ votes. “Organize to overthrow the power of the FNSEA. Turn the table! Impose the agricultural-cultural exception »launched Christian Convers, general secretary of the union, before declaring open the “victory congress”. Véronique Le Floc’h, president of the CR, took the opportunity to launch “act 3 of the mobilization”. With a list of demands, including “the pure and simple abandonment of Mercosur or any other free trade agreement”, “reducing burdens to restore farmers’ income”, “the elimination of the excessive transposition of French standards to European standards relating to plant protection products”and even the suppression of the French Biodiversity Office.
Numerous duplexes marked the two days of meetings to follow, live, the actions on the ground. As expected, the CR of Lot-et-Garonne (CR47), which had already distinguished itself at the beginning of the year, demonstrated in Agen, with nearly a hundred tractors, throwing garbage containers in front of the service buildings of the State. “We have to be combative. Take our demands to the prefectures”declared Karine Duc, co-president of CR47, with a yellow hat curled around her head. Entering the Lot-et-Garonne prefecture on Tuesday with José Pérez, another co-president, they were expelled at the end of the day, after having indicated that they wished to remain there until they obtained satisfaction. On Wednesday morning they contacted Prime Minister Michel Barnier by phone to express their requests.
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