2024-01-28 03:28:25
Now at the forefront of the agricultural protest, the Lot-et-Garonne Rural Coordination, whose troops will take the road on Monday to block the Rungis market near Paris, is as influential as it is feared in this “orchard of France”.
Wheat, corn and sunflowers occupy more than half of the surface area there, but fruits and vegetables generate 40% of the value of production according to INSEE, and represented 3,300 employees in 2021.
According to the departmental council, Lot-et-Garonne is the leading producer of strawberries, eggplants, peppers, hazelnuts, kiwis and brown tobacco, with recognized specialties such as Marmande tomatoes or Agen prune.
For two decades, the Rural Coordination (CR47) has controlled the Chamber of Agriculture there, with 60% of the votes in the last elections, and is omnipresent on the ground behind the emblematic Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, 64 years old, president of the Chamber since 2013.
“I am elected by peasants, I only obey the peasants, I am their spokesperson, always with my face uncovered and taking responsibility for what we do,” declared to AFP a few months ago the which claims 18 trials in 30 years of commitment.
The actions he carried out with the CR47 (commando operation at a trader, occupation of the premises of the Mutualité sociale agricole, ransacking of supermarkets and purchasing centers, blockades of Agen) have in fact often ended up in court.
Tires and slurry
Serge Bousquet-Cassagne was given a suspended prison sentence, in particular, for having had the Caussade water reservoir built during the winter of 2018-2019 without authorization… Which does not prevent it from still having has worked since then, as the Court of Auditors recently deplored.
The CR47 is also targeted by a judicial investigation opened after a complaint from the national secretary of EELV, Marine Tondelier, whose trip to Lot-et-Garonne last year was strongly disrupted by the union – he had indicated the day before that she was “not welcome”.
The environmentalist leader then castigated “an extreme right union”, a son of Serge Bousquet-Cassagne having been an executive of the National Front (later National Rally) in Lot-et-Garonne, and the father assuming his proximity “with all the rights”.
After the farmers in yellow caps, the color of the CR, lit a big fire in front of the Agen prefecture on Wednesday evening, RN deputy Hélène Laporte came to assure them of her support on Thursday morning.
In November, 300 farmers and 80 tractors, at the call of the union, had already dumped tires and slurry in front of administrative buildings in Agen. The prefect had “disapproved” and refused to receive the union, before a banner hung on the gates of the prefecture “shame on the prefect who despises the peasants” made him change his mind.
This week, there were 600 of them camping on the A62 and multiplied the punch operations without anyone finding fault “I understand of course”, even said the director of a Super U logistics base when tractors dumped manure there.
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