“We walk on our heads…” Dozens of signs returned by farmers to Eure-et-Loire

This Wednesday morning the whole of Eure and Loire is marching upside down as part of a national operation. More than sixty municipalities of the department woke up upside down. Châteaudun, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Chartres, Bonneval, Evre, Epernon, Orgers-en-Beauce or Toury: “Dozens of entry and exit signs were demolished last night,” says Bertrand Petit, president of FNSEA 28. We defend ourselves at the national level , but we must reach the villages so that the noise comes from small communities.”

The “symbolic action without degradation” was carried out by farmers who are members of JA 28 or FNSEA 28. The aim is to turn over village signs to denounce the government’s growing disconnect from agricultural reality and denounce regulatory price gouging. “GNR (off-road diesel), all the phytosanitary control, so much is needed that in the end we no longer know what is good and what is bad,” complains the trade union leader.

Tired of escalating standards

Organic plan, protein plan, recovery plan, fruit and vegetable plan, viticulture plan, etc. – these operators also point the finger at “very short-term reactions” from the government. In Ere-et-Loire, FNSEA is also angry about European regulations on the “sustainable use of pesticides” (SUR), which could affect “150,000 hectares, including 70,000 around the Natura 2000 zone in the south of the department. We cannot turn these lands into organic ones when there are already difficulties in selling organic food,” says Bertrand Petit, who fears for France’s food sovereignty.

Demonstrators say the situation is discouraging young people from pursuing agricultural careers. The work of returned panels should remain visible for several days, especially in small towns. At Chateaudun, the panels were returned to their vertical position at 10 a.m. this Wednesday.