The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau on Thursday called on the sugar group Tereos to leave “no farmer and no employee without a solution” the day after the announcement of the closure of two of its factories in France which threatens 149 jobs. The world’s second largest sugar group – behind the German Südzucker – announced on Wednesday that it wanted to close its Escaudoeuvres sugar refinery in the North and its Morains distillery in the Marne.
Tereos favors the “reclassification” of its employees
The management of Tereos said it wanted to favor the “reclassification” of its employees on other sugar production sites in the region. “Tereos must assume its economic choices in transparency, and explain them, while commitments were made in 2020 and 2021 on the sustainability of industrial tools”, underlined Marc Fesneau on Twitter, without further details.
I spoke yesterday with the President of @Tereos following the announcements of closures of the Escaudoeuvres sugar factory in the North, of a distillation workshop and the sale of a starch unit in the Marne.
— Marc Fesneau (@MFesneau) March 9, 2023
“Guarantees have been given for growers,” said the minister, referring to the government’s recent commitment to fully compensate production losses in the event of a beet yellows episode in 2023. all employees,” he added, without giving further details.
“Sustainable reduction” of beet production
On Wednesday, the sugar producer justified its decision by “a lasting reduction” in beet production in 2023-24, the “main factor” of which is, according to the General Confederation of Beet Growers (CGB), the ban on neonicotinoids. These insecticides, which are harmful to bees, were used by way of derogation in France to coat beet seeds and protect them against jaundice, transmitted by a green aphid. In 2020, the production of sugar beets had been cut by a third due to this viral disease, according to the CGB.
France had to give up a new derogation for these coated seeds following an opinion from European justice on January 21, a few weeks before the start of sowing. As a result, for 2022-23, cultivated areas have already “decreased by around 7%” on average, according to the CGB.
An “astonishing” restructuring decision
The minister said he had “asked the prefects concerned to bring together the local players to examine the situation”. “As it is a beet production area less affected than many others by jaundice in 2020, this industrial restructuring decision in Escaudoeuvres appears all the more surprising”, he underlined.
“The economic motivations for this decision must be clarified by Tereos, which must endorse it without trying to hold the State responsible for it”, he added. The day before, Tereos had indicated that the choice of the Escaudoeuvres plant was dictated in particular by a drop in sown areas of more than 10% in this sector and a “drop in volumes” of beets processed on this site for several years. .