Farmers’ anger: Gabriel Attal will host agricultural unions on Tuesday morning

Discussions are ongoing. Gabriel Attal will receive most of the agricultural unions on Tuesday morning, after postponing a meeting planned for last week with Emmanuel Macron, who will meet with them only after the work done between the two parties has been completed. The Prime Minister will therefore meet FNSEA and young farmers in Matignon on Tuesday at 9:30 am. FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau announced on Saturday evening the postponement of the meeting planned at the Elysee Palace, explaining that “the conditions for a solution to the agricultural crisis (were) not created” but refused to “place the burden of this responsibility on the unions.” .

VIDEO. Farmers: “The coals are hot, nothing is finished,” warns FNSEA

It was directed against comments published in the press in which government authorities criticized “unions for being unable to agree on four or five decisive measures.” According to a government source, unions must “agree on a road map, 4-5 main goals or demands”: “Until this is the case, the meeting (with Emmanuel Macron) will not make any sense.”

Disagreement over “rhythm”

The head of state will receive the unions “when all the work done by the government allows the president to conclude consistency,” the Elysee Palace says. “We continue to fulfill the 62 commitments of the Prime Minister,” said Gabrielle Attal, Minister Delegate for Agriculture Agnès Pannier-Runacher at TF1. “The government acted decisively and quickly,” she said, while FNSEA believes the government is not moving “at the right pace” to respond to its demands.

FNSEA formulated 120 demands following the peasant protest movement in late January and early February. Nevertheless, Arnaud Rousseau welcomed the “advances” received in Brussels, in particular on fallow lands. The French government is committed to several projects. The protest movement has died down since the beginning of February, but protests continue sporadically.

The discussions also focus on the draft law on agricultural orientation, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers on March 29. The Ministry of Agriculture also launched this Friday a series of meetings on the issue of excessive application of pesticide standards, of which French farmers consider themselves victims. The final version of Ecophyto’s new pesticide reduction strategy is due to be presented in early April.