while the government calls for a Christmas “truce”, can the unions lift the blockades?

The representatives of the profession, received on Friday in Matignon, are still hesitant on the subject, while Sébastien Lecornu asked them not to hinder travel for the holidays. Some organizations prefer to leave the choice to those who man the roadblocks.

Will they give this gift to vacationers and the government? A few days before Christmas, while farmers are increasing blockages to protest against the management of lumpy skin disease (LCD) and express their concerns linked to the free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, Sébastien Lecornu called for “a truce” Christmas to the union representatives received in Matignon, Friday December 19.

Following this meeting, the head of government sent a four-page letter to the unions announcing, among other things, the establishment of a support fund of 11 million euros “to deal with the immediate economic impacts” for small farmers in difficulty and calm the prevailing anger.

“The account is not there”replied in a press release the FNSEA, which however showed itself open to a cessation of hostilities during the school holidays. The main French agricultural union, however, warned that the blockages would resume at the start of the school year in January. The secretary general of the FNSEA, Hervé Lapie, called on franceinfo on Saturday to “breathing”, so that “the French can spend the end of year holidays with family and also find these moments of conviviality”.

On France 2, the president of Young Farmers, Pierrick Horel, for his part announced that “punch actions” will take place “here and there between now and Christmas” without “road blockages”. If this union is the traditional ally of the FNSEA, they oppose the subject of the systematic slaughter of herds affected by lumpy skin disease, rejected by the JA.

For its part, the Rural coordination (CR), spearhead of the mobilization in the South-West with the Peasant Confederation (CP), called for his exit from Matignon to the “kindness” during the holidays, but refused to call for the lifting of the blockades. “Without solid concessions from the State, the fight will continue”the union, considered close to the far right, confirmed in a press release on Saturday. The departmental sections are free to continue the movement, added in the morning on franceinfo the secretary general of the CR, François Walraet, while calling for “take a break” for Christmas. “Certain blocking points will be lifted, others will nothe explained. These are independent departmental structures and I already know that there are some who do not wish to demobilize, for whom it is extremely important to continue to put pressure on the government.”

The Peasant Confederation, classified on the left but more or less on the same line since the start of the movement, assures that it will continue its actions. “As long as we do not change health policy, as long as the government remains on systematic and total slaughter, in the event of a case of lumpy skin disease (LCD) on a farm, we will remain mobilized.”Sara Melki, its spokesperson in Aveyron, told AFP on Saturday.

Farmers’ blockades were lifted on Friday in the South-West, but several blockages remained on Saturday on roads and motorways. HAS Baskets, south of Bordeauxthe A63 should remain blocked “minimum until Sunday evening”according to CR33. The demonstrators, however, decided to reopen an access ramp to the motorway in the Bordeaux-Bayonne direction on Saturday, with a short diversion of two kilometers at the dam, the prefecture said. “We are not going to block cars so that people can go see their family or go on vacation”underlined Ludovic Ducloux, winegrower and co-president of CR33, to AFP.

Saturday morning, the A64 Toulouse-Bayonne motorway remained closed for more than 180 km, from Haute-Garonne to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, as in Carbonne near Toulouse. “We’re not going to give up this time,” warned Thierry Léon, co-president of the CR des Pyrénées-Atlantiques. “We’ll have Christmas here if we have to”warned, determined, one of the blockers interviewed in a report from TF1. In Ariège, the RN20 Toulouse-Andorra, access road to the Ax-Trois-Domaines ski resort, also remained cut off at Tarascon-sur-Ariège. On the A89 between Clermont-Ferrand and Bordeaux, in Corrèze, and on the A20 between Limoges and Montauban, in Corrèze and Dordogne, blockades were however lifted on Saturday, announced the prefectures concerned.