Michel Barnier seemed a little at home. In the aisles of the livestock summit, Friday October 4, in Cournon-d’Auvergne (Puy-de-Dôme), the Prime Minister found some acquaintances. Breeders have not forgotten his time at the Ministry of Agriculture under Nicolas Sarkozy. “You haven’t changed,” we say to him.
The head of government does not hesitate to recall that he was in charge in 2008 when serotype 8 – in some ways a variant – of bluetongue (BFT) had spread in the herds. Not insignificant at a time when 8 is spreading again and when another serotype, 3, which appeared for the first time in France in August, is wreaking havoc; these forms of the disease which also affect cattle present no risk to consumers.
Between the stands, two men call out to him: “We need help for all links in the sector. We are asking for state-guaranteed loans.” The Prime Minister assures them that he has heard them. Once the delegation has passed, Thierry Orcière, president of the Copagno/Feder cooperative, and Christophe Guillerand, its sheep sales manager, hope that the message has resonated.
10% loss on farms
They did their calculation: among 250 sheep breeders who are members of the cooperative, the spread of bluetongue serotype 8 caused an average of 10% loss; the finances of the cooperative will suffer. “At a minimum, we should see a drop of 20 to 30% in our turnover; in other words, in 2025, our margin will be toast, explains Christophe Guillerand. Without urgent aid from the State, the entire sector will collapse. »
Due to lack of access to a vaccine at an affordable price last winter, vaccination was delayed and the damage is there today, like this breeder from the cooperative who, in the space of three weeks, saw 150 out of 500 sheep die.
Michel Barnier also took advantage of his trip to have lunch with the trade union organizations. He told them he was working on a state-guaranteed loan program (PGE) and announced the deployment of an emergency fund for FCO 3 of 75 million euros, assuming to focus on this serotype as it it is an emerging form.
An approach criticized by the unions
This distinction arouses the incomprehension of the unions who deplore that the envelope has not been expanded to cover compensation for farms affected by FCO 8. “There is unequal treatment between breeders”, alarms Michel Joux, president of the regional branch of the FNSEA, the majority union.
The trade unionist wonders: does the government believe that the National Agricultural Fund for Pooling Health and Environmental Risks (FMSE) to which breeders contribute will compensate those whose herds have contracted FCO 8? “But that may not be enough,” blurted the breeder.
In a press release, the Confédération paysanne also denounced this approach, also highlighting the disparities in terms of vaccination strategy, the government having decided to cover the entire cost of vaccination for sheep concerning FCO 3 but not for 8. “But what health policy are we talking about? “, the organization protests.
At the Rural Coordination, the disappointment is great. Here too, the lack of scale of the fund is singled out. More generally, the second union force believes that politicians have still not learned the lessons of the angry movement of farmers last winter. “Gabriel Attal, then prime minister, had promised a livestock fund of 80 million euros to support the treasuries, recalls Amélie Rebière, vice-president of Rural Coordination (CR). When we met the Minister of Agriculture on September 26, we asked her to take stock of the situation to find out what amount has already been distributed. We are still waiting for his response. »
Co-management
The CR did not accept that Michel Barnier invited the FNSEA to Matignon on Wednesday, October 2, even though it had not received an invitation at this stage. “The agricultural world suffers from co-management between the executive and the FNSEA”, tackle Amélie Rebière alerting to the anger which still runs through the countryside and which could crystallize again.
The majority union, for its part, defends itself from any “co-management”, and continues to blow hot and cold: on the one hand, he challenges those who claim that nothing was done by the previous government, highlighting the victories it has won, while maintaining the pressure – barely the appointed minister, he had issued a fifteen-day ultimatum requesting emergency measures in response in particular to the health situation.
Unions in the campaign
The positioning of each side can also be understood in the light of the election which will take place next January: farmers will elect their representatives in the chambers of agriculture which are, to date, almost all held by the FNSEA.
In the meantime, the presentation of the budget on October 10 could offer the unions the opportunity to bang their fists on the table again. Because it cannot be ruled out that the ministry will suffer cuts. During his visit to the Livestock Summit, Michel Barnier once again placed emphasis on “extremely serious financial situation” in which the country is located, adding: “We all have to make an effort. All. »