demonstrators benefit from a “long tradition” of “benevolence” from the authorities, points out a sociologist

The tolerance displayed by politicians and law enforcement towards the actions of farmers is explained in particular, for Bertrand Hervieu, by the close relationships they maintain on a daily basis.

Spilled slurry, blocked highways… The mobilization of French farmers continued to expand on Wednesday January 24, with an increase in dams, and is expected to continue throughout the week. Breeders and farmers denounce, among other things, the increase in the price of diesel, administrative overload and environmental constraints that they consider too onerous. While the mobilization worries the government, actions targeting transport routes or public buildings benefit from a certain leniency on the part of the authorities.

“The blockages are taking place and there is no question of preventing this expression of demand”, explained the government spokesperson, Prisca Thevenot, after the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who had already refused to send the police to reopen the A64 motorway to traffic, asked the prefects on Wednesday to only order an intervention against the demonstrators. ‘in “last resort”.

Enough to push some, like environmental activist Camille Etienne on BFMTV on Monday, to point the finger “a double standard” between this laissez-faire and the repression of other protest movements. Is that the case ? Franceinfo asked the question to Bertrand Hervieu, sociologist and specialist in rural and agricultural issues.

Franceinfo: The actions of farmers seem to benefit from greater tolerance than those of other groups. The prefects were thus instructed to go and meet the demonstrators. For what ?

Bertrand Hervieu: Yes, there is greater goodwill on the part of the government regarding farmers’ protests. It is a long tradition, which was not born with the movement that we are currently observing. The first explanation is linked to violence. Demonstrations have sometimes escalated in the past. I am thinking, for example, of what happened in Brittany with the episode of the “red caps” [en 2013]. But also to the Wine Action Committee which blew up the Environment Department in Carcassonne (Aude) last Friday. There is therefore a desire not to make things worse on the part of the public authorities.

Above all, a prefect knows the agricultural leaders, he meets them very frequently and needs to be able to speak with them.

“There are great close relationships between agricultural managers and the authorities, mayors and prefects. This is the opposite of the ‘yellow vests’, which had no leaders. This explains a certain indulgence.”

Bertrand Hervieu, sociologist

at franceinfo

Are these links also explained by a particular organization in this sector?

It must be remembered that farmers are a very small minority: farm managers represent 1.5% of the active population. However, it is an extraordinarily supervised profession. There is no other country that has such an organized institutional apparatus. The majority of farmers are linked to the same union and mutualist structures, and to the chambers of agriculture. There is a national and territorial network of these professions, which we can clearly see today: demonstrations are taking place everywhere in France.

Why do politicians seem to listen so much to farmers?

There are few professions which have an almost daily relationship with the government, first with the Minister of Agriculture, but also with the Prime Minister. There is therefore a proximity with the State. But it also exists with political parties, particularly on the right and in the center, a legacy of the era of Jacques Chirac.

Agriculture is seen as part of French identity. It is a sector which plays a leading role in national history.

Bertrand Hervieu, sociologist

at franceinfo

This is partly due to his contribution to the reconstruction and modernization of France after the Second World War. Additionally, agriculture is seen as important because it feeds us. And then, it occupies half of the national territory. It is visible on a daily basis for a large part of the French population, and fantasized about by others.

So operators benefit from broad public support?

We can clearly see this in the polls: public opinion tends to express sympathy for farmers. At the same time, she is also critical of the methods of practicing agriculture, perceived as not being very protective of the environment. This explains this tension, which farmers feel as paradoxical injunctions, around the question of the environment. This is also what fuels these protests.

If farmers are listened to more than others, are they still heard?

Yes. With their very efficient organization, they sometimes manage to obtain concessions even before having demonstrated. However, they are not heard as they would like to be. Basically, they would like the State to continue, at the start of the 21st century, to have the same expectations as 60 years ago, that is to say that their only mission is food.

But society has changed. Climate change is in the spotlight and worries young generations. It must still be remembered that 21% of greenhouse gases come from the agricultural sector in France. [selon les chiffres du ministère de l’Agriculture]. The State cannot act as if it does not exist. This necessarily leads to a transformation, which is not easy to implement.