Christiane Lambert, President of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), was the guest of the 8:30 a.m. france infoWednesday, November 2, 2022. Megabassin de Sainte-Soline, agricultural sovereignty, inflation “job in tension” residence permits… She answered questions from Lorrain Sénéchal and Neila Latrous.
Consumer price inflation in 2023: “8, 10, 12, 15% depending on the product”
In supermarket food shelves, everything will increase for the consumer next year. Guest of franceinfo on Wednesday November 2, Christiane Lambert promises an overall price increase: “8, 10, 12, 15% depending on the products” and “It’s necessary”according to the president of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA).
“Everything useful for producing food has increased. Fertilizers +135%, energy +50, electricity in the year 2023 will be around +400, even 500%. Everything explodes”, adds Christiane Lambert. The representative of the most powerful French agricultural union recalls that the prices of certain products have already increased: “18% extra for pasta, rice”. This inflation does not seem to be able to be countered, “energy will not drop, fertilizers are scarce, fuels are also expensive”.
We are in a context that we have never known, with an explosion of all costs.
Christiane Lamberton franceinfo
Regarding energy, more and more farmers are practicing agrivoltaism, ie the use of photovoltaic panels on agricultural land. “Today, 15% of farmers produce energy: mechanization, photovoltaics…”summarizes Christiane Lambert.
Regarding photovoltaics, it is necessary to regulate, affirms the FNSEA. “Soil photovoltaics, we are not in favor of it consuming space. But agrivoltaism, we are in favor of that”. Christiane Lambert takes the example of vines protected from heat stroke by photovoltaic panels, and allowing additional income to the farmer, who sells his electricity production to EDF. “We must supervise. We must lay down rules, otherwise it would go all over the place. But we must produce more energy in France by all means.”
Sainte-Soline: “I don’t want us to experience the same thing as nuclear”
A new day of arm wrestling is announced in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres), between opponents of the mega-basin project and the employees of the site which could resume this Wednesday, November 2. Christiane Lambert does not understand this challenge which she considers violent, while “The site was authorized, the studies were carried out. Even local environmental associations, not national ones, were involved”. The president of the FNSEA refuses to see “Agricultural France being blocked by protesters while there was the debate. There was consultation for 10 years”.
If France yields to those who do not agree with the project, such as “the black blocks, the European and national elected officials, those who break in the street with petanque balls”if the country yields to the “demonization”then “agriculture is taken hostage”claims Christiane Lambert. “I don’t want us to experience the same thing as nuclear power. 30 years ago, environmentalists took nuclear power as an object of protest”says the French agricultural trade unionist. “They pushed politicians to stop nuclear power. As a result, we stopped recruiting. We can no longer maintain the power plants when Vladimir Putin takes the energy weapon.”
Immigration bill: foreign workers in agriculture are “necessary”
The government wants to create a residence permit for “jobs in tension”announced the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt and the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin in the newspaper The world, Wednesday, November 2. That is to say that the text provides for the ending, under conditions, of the waiting period which prevents asylum seekers from working during their first six months in France.
Christiane Lambert is not against. It even calls for agriculture to be placed on the list of “jobs in tension”. Because seasonal foreign workers represent “30%” manpower in the fields. “It is considerable and necessary”says the representative of the FNSEA and pig farmer in Maine-et-Loire. “These are organized teams. They are operational as soon as they arrive in our fruit farms in Gard, Lot-et-Garonne, Bouches-du-Rhône, which are very large sectors.”
Fruit was not harvested this year for lack of manpower.
Christiane Lamberton franceinfo
French agriculture has, according to the FNSEA, 70,000 unfilled positions and it produces less and less, notes Christiane Lambert. She observes that “France has regressed on the agricultural chessboard. The leading European agricultural producer is importing more and more. It’s a shame, because we have balls at our feet, in a certain number of areas”. Namely unemployment, the reform of which is “necessary” for Christiane Lambert.
The bill announced by Olivier Dussopt and Gérald Darmanin is scheduled for the first half of 2023. It also aims to facilitate the process of obligations to leave French territory (OQTF). The text also plans to file foreigners targeted by an OQTF, by registering them in the file of wanted persons (FPR).
——————–
Find the entire “8:30 franceinfo” of Wednesday, November 2: