Arnaud Rousseau, new president of the FNSEA, France’s leading agricultural union, was the guest of “8:30 a.m. franceinfo”, Friday April 14, 2023. Food vouchers, organic farming, drought and pesticides… He answered questions from Neila Latrous and Lorrain Sénéchal.
Inflation: “The indicators today do not measure a decline”
“Let’s bet that the drop in prices should be recorded in the coming months but the indicators today do not measure this drop“, notes Arnaud Rousseau. “Production costs are not coming down yet, maybe in the coming weeks“, explains the boss of the FNSEA, citing the increase in “fertilizer, animal feed and the cost of employees“.
Arnaud Rousseau also recalls that a “quality French food at a cost“, while regretting that the French are struggling to feed themselves in the face of inflation.
“The food check is not done because Bruno the Mayor considers that it costs the nation too much”
For “support those who are in difficulty“, Arnaud Rousseau pleads for the establishment of a food voucher, while regretting the government’s position on this subject. “The food check is not done because Bruno the Mayor, I imagine, considers that it costs the nation too much“, criticizes Arnaud Rousseau.
He defends the principle of a check up to “three euros per day and per beneficiary“allowing you to buy French products, basic necessities and organic products.
Organic farming: Arnaud Rousseau calls for “a massive plan”
Arnaud Rousseau calls for a “massive plane” of the order “from 50 to 100 million” euros for “help organic producers who are currently in major difficulty“. While the government has announced the establishment of aid of 10 million euros for organic producers, the president of the FNSEA believes that this project “is not up to the challenge“. For Arnaud Rousseau, “we must help organic, before aiming for the objective of 18%“of organic agricultural land in 2027 set by France.
Drought: “A concern” for the FNSEA for which it is necessary to “plan” water reserves
Falling groundwater levels are a “concern” for the FNSEA. While the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) expressed concern on Thursday about a “proven risk“drought this summer for several regions in France, Arnaud Rousseau recalls that agriculture”lives on water” but “don’t get it“because she”turns it into food for the French“.
According to him, this is the reason why “we need to plan, to store water, in responsibility, when water is available“. “Agriculture is aware that climate change on the way is going to be a major change in its practices”adds Arnaud Rousseau, convinced that “farmers are the first environmentalists“.
Sainte-Soline: the project “will be done”
Asked about the disputed project of mega-basins in Sainte-Soline, Arnaud Rousseau believes that he “was the subject of extensive consultation” And “confirmation by the courts of its relevance” Start of the week. “Sainte-Soline will be“, says the president of the FNSEA.
“The deep subject is not Sainte-Soline“, he continues, “this is how tomorrow, in France, with overall less water in some places, overall more water in others, we will be able to plan ecologically things that make sense for agriculture, for the rest of our fellow citizens and for the ecosystems“, he summarizes. “It is the question of storage that is posed to us, and the way of using in a reasonable way, with the necessary sobriety, the water available“.
Pesticides: “No ban without an alternative solution”
“We, what we bring to the FNSEA, is the fact that there is no ban on the use of molecules without an alternative solution“, indicates Arnaud Rousseau, on the question of pesticides.
While the health security agency Anses has been pushed around for two weeks by the Minister of Agriculture highlighting the economic risks arising from his decisions to ban certain pesticides deemed carcinogenic, Arnaud Rousseau recalls that the priority is to “keep producing to feed“the French while making sure”to dispense with all the molecules that pose a problem for society“.”There are efforts to be made in terms of pesticides, production methods, and we are ready to do so, but all this does not happen overnight.“, he concludes.
Find the full interview at 8:30 a.m. with franceinfo on Friday April 14, 2023 :