The president of the majority agricultural union FNSEA “refuses” to participate in a major debate with President Emmanuel Macron at the Agricultural Show on Saturday in the presence of the Uprisings of the Earth, a collective that the executive wanted to dissolve, denouncing an “unacceptable provocation” .
“I refuse to take part in what will only be a charade”
“The invitation by the PR [président de la République] to the #SIA of a small group whose dissolution was requested by its own government is an unacceptable provocation for farmers. I agreed to participate in a debate. Under these conditions, I refuse to take part in what will only be a masquerade,” declared Arnaud Rousseau on X on Thursday evening. The Élysée announced during the day the participation of the Head of State in a major debate ‘at least two hours, “open” and “without filter”, with “all the players in the agricultural world”, farmers, manufacturers, large retailers and NGOs, Saturday at the Agricultural Show, “to sketch the future ” of the sector.
Several hundred people are expected, including representatives of the main agricultural unions (FNSEA, Young Farmers, Rural Coordination, Peasant Confederation, etc.), large retailers (Lidl, Leclerc, etc.) and manufacturers such as the food processor Bigard meat, and also NGOs. Leaders of environmental associations are also invited, said the Élysée, citing Réseau Action Climat, Générations futures as well as the Uprisings of the Earth, a collective that the executive wanted to dissolve before the decision was canceled by the Council of State.
This debate, covering all issues linked to agriculture, from the question of income to Europe through the transition of the agricultural model in the light of major climate issues, was to begin shortly after the start of the big popular meeting point of the Show. The agricultural world is going through its most serious crisis in 30 years according to the FNSEA. After two weeks of blockages, farmers, mobilized throughout France, left camp at the beginning of February after three bursts of announcements from the government, including more than 400 million euros in emergency measures.