2024-01-27 02:50:14
► Question about the continuation of the movement
Blockades are being lifted and traffic is gradually resuming on Saturday January 27 on certain highways but the farmers, far from being all satisfied with the government’s announcements, are wondering about the continuation of their movement. In the south, the A9 motorway “has been reopened on most of its route”, indicated Vinci Autoroutes in a press release. But it remains cut off in the Gard.
On the side of the A64 motorway near Carbonne (Haute-Garonne), the first farmers’ barrier to have been installed 10 days ago, the unblocking was in progress at midday. “We were heard, we got some answers” even if “everything will not be perfect right away”judged Joël Tournier, one of the spokespersons for the movement in Carbonne, with breeder Jérôme Bayle.
But the movement remains diffuse, with situations varying locally across France and farmers divided between those who believe they have obtained satisfaction and others who wish to relaunch the movement after a pause.
► Calls to block the Rungis national interest market
Farmers from Lot-et-Garonne, one of the hotspots of mobilization in France in recent days, will “go to Paris” from Monday to block the Rungis market of national interest (Val-de-Marne), the department’s Rural Coordination announced on Saturday. “We leave Agen on Monday at 9:00 a.m., we take the highway at Cahors, we go up to Paris via Limoges and we pick up all the people who want to join us”declared José Pérez, co-president of CR 47.
The Young Farmers (JA) are also planning to target Paris next week, but this action is not “not decided”the union still having to take the time to “recalibrate mobilization”its secretary general, Pierrick Horel, told AFP. “We’re going to take the weekend to rest our minds and bodies” et “to recalibrate next week’s mobilization”he told AFP.
► Thousands of participants in the march in tribute to the deceased farmer and her daughter
Several thousand people participated on Saturday January 27 in Pamiers (Ariège) in a white march organized in memory of the breeder and her daughter who died at the beginning of the week after being accidentally hit on a farmers’ roadblock, noted a journalist of the AFP. “Solidarity and emotion have gone beyond Ariège and the world of agriculture”declared Philippe Lacube, president of the Ariège Chamber of Agriculture.
Dressed in white, white roses in their hands, those present found themselves in the courtyard of the agricultural high school in which the farmer studied, and which her daughter was to join. The father, also hit during the accident, is still hospitalized but “is getting better and better”said, with tears in his eyes, Sébastien Durand, vice-president of the FDSEA of Ariège and mayor of the town.
► Some truckers authorized to drive this weekend
Certain road transport vehicles are exceptionally authorized to drive this weekend after traffic difficulties this week triggered by farmers’ demonstrations, it is indicated in a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal.
Traffic bans normally planned for goods transport vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes during the weekend “are lifted from Saturday January 27, 2024 at 10 a.m. to Monday January 29, 2024 at 10 a.m.”. The goal is to “allow the completion of transport operations started before Saturday January 27 at 10 p.m.”as well as “the return of road drivers whose transport operations have been disrupted” towards their “usual resting place”.
► Barriers are rising
Barriers are going up on Saturday but the anger of the farmers has not yet been appeased. Blockages are expected to regain strength at the start of the week. According to the gendarmerie, the number of blockages and affected departments is decreasing sharply: Saturday at 6:00 a.m., there were fewer than 40 actions affecting 28 departments. But the movement remains diffuse, with situations varying locally across France and the A9 which remains closed to traffic, according to Vinci Autoroutes.
In the Gard, where the A54 motorway is also cut near Nîmes, “it continues and teams remained mobilized all night”Laurence Biscayet of FDSEA Gard told AFP on Saturday morning.
► Young Farmers will lift their blockades by noon but plan to reinstate them
The Young Farmers union will lift its blockades by Saturday noon but plans to resume them at the beginning of next week, announced its general secretary, Pierrick Horel, on RMC. “We need to rest, we also need to readjust the strategy we are going to adopt for next week”explained the representative of the union which, associated with the FNSEA, represents the majority of the profession.
► The FNSEA calls for “continue this mobilization”.
The mobilization of farmers continues, Saturday January 27, despite the roadblocks lifted in places: the agricultural unions consider the string of aid and simplification measures announced by Gabriel Attal to put an end to their anger insufficient.
In the Gard, where the A9 and A54 motorways are cut near Nîmes, “it continues and teams remained mobilized all night”, Laurence Biscayet of FDSEA Gard told AFP on Saturday morning. If the blockage of the RN145 in the Creuse must be lifted on Saturday at midday, the account is not there for Christian Arvis, president of the FDSEA of the department, for whom “Gabriel Attal’s announcements are a shame”, “pipeaux, scoops,” he scolded on Friday.
“What was said this evening does not calm the anger, we must go further”said FNSEA president Arnaud Rousseau on Friday.
►The Minister of Agriculture promises other measures
The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau promised other measures, particularly in viticulture, the day after those announced by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to try to calm the anger of the agricultural world. “There are first measures which have been announced. They are called upon to focus on other subjects of course”he said on franceinfo.
He mentioned ” measures “ that he will announce “next week on viticulture”or even on downy mildew disease and ” Treasury “. “I will go to the European level on Wednesday to unblock a certain number of subjects. I am thinking about the subject of fallowing and I think that within the week we will be able to have answers. And the President of the Republic will put all his weight into it”he announced again.
►Fire at the customs office in Nîmes, “serious damage”
A fire, caused by angry farmers, caused damage on Friday evening “serious damage” at the Customs office in Nîmes, with “major damage to the building” and eight vehicles burned, we learned from the Gard prefecture. Started at 7:15 p.m., the fire was “mastered at 9:10 p.m.”told AFP the firefighters who “engaged ten vehicles and around thirty personnel”depending on the prefecture.
According to the prefecture’s communications service, “eight light vehicles were set on fire inside the Customs office by individuals driving agricultural machinery”which also caused “major damage to the building and destroyed the gate”. At the start of the evening, the prefect of Gard had “condemned with the greatest firmness these serious degradations”specifying that“an investigation is underway to identify the perpetrators”.
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