No one can remain indifferent to the justified struggle of farmers and breeders who are fighting for their dignity and the survival of French agriculture, said Bishop Marc Aillet, Ordinary of the Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron in south-western France. He was commenting on the protests against the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which are taking place across the country.
Bishop Aillet warns against unfair competition that will arise after the agreement with Mercosur is signed. As he notes, „it envisages the import of tens of thousands of tonnes of beef and poultry from several South American countries that are not bound by the environmental and hygiene standards that our farmers and breeders are subject to.“.
The French bishop also mentions the steadily worsening situation of farmers: „Are we sufficiently aware that nearly 20,000 farmers in France live below the poverty line and that official statistics show that one farmer commits suicide every two days?“
The end of food sovereignty
Referring to data presented by François Guillaume, former Minister of Agriculture, Bishop Aillet notes that over the past 15 to 20 years, the number of farmers in France has halved, and every year the country loses tens of thousands of hectares of arable land, several hundred thousand head of cattle, and will soon lose its ability to feed the French people. „But can we imagine France without farmers?„ writes the French bishop. “It would, of course, be a tragedy for the entire rural world and for our territory, but also the end of the country's “food sovereignty'."
The fight for a fair agricultural model
Bishop Aillet assures farmers in his region and throughout France who are suffering and fighting for a fairer agricultural model of his deep respect, closeness and fraternal support, as well as his prayers for them and their families. He also mentions farmers who are protesting against the slaughter of entire herds after the discovery of nodular dermatosis. Many farmers consider this measure disproportionate and are seeking other measures: partial slaughter and vaccination. „The farmers“ anger is completely understandable, because the slaughter of an entire herd practically destroys their life's work," Bishop Aillet wrote.
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