The injunction to stay at home does not apply to the entire population and some people have no choice but to go to work. How is it organized in the campaigns?
People working in the agricultural sector cannot afford to be confined when they are not tested positive for COVID-19.
Michael Dhuit, a farmer in the Loir-et-Cher, testifies to his situation and that of his colleagues. As a grain farmer, he works alone in a tractor cabin on his fields.“We can work and luckily! We have a lot of work on a farm, and if we don't do it on time, it can have a huge impact on performance. ” he says.
Containment poses problems on certain fertilizer supplies or on construction sites on farms, because companies no longer deliver. “We are idling a bit ” confides Michael.
The epidemic is impacting longer-term performance as well. The operator tells us: “We have problems with the delivery of parts to a site for irrigation on the farm, so plots will not be irrigated this year. Finally, the price of fuel has certainly gone down, but the price of cereals too, which is bad for our turnover. "
The problem also arises from the point of view of those who have employees, depending on whether they can stop or not. Certain sectors that are very labor-intensive, such as organic market gardening, are highly likely to suffer from the lack of labor.
To remedy this, the Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume appeals to those who cannot currently work to help the agricultural world:
"I appeal to women and men who are not working, who are confined to their homes, who are waiters in restaurants, hostesses in hotels, hairdressers in my neighborhood, who are no longer active … And I tell them to join the great army of French agriculture, those who will allow us to feed ourselves in a clean, healthy way. (..) We must produce to feed the French ", he said, referring to "a civic, civil act".
Find the possibilities for action on this platform, launched in partnership with Pôle Emploi: https://desbraspourtonassiette.wizi.farm/
by Mathilde Wattecamps