The Region Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy puts in place an emergency plan of three million to assist farmers and milk producers …
After the Minister of Agriculture on Wednesday it was the turn of Xavier Bertrand to present Thursday its measures to help farmers and milk producers in the region. In all, about an additional aid of three million euros was announced, the content and conditions though however do not seem unanimous.
Three million more
Thursday, during a stormy session of the Regional Council, Xavier Betrand managed to pass a supplementary budget of three million euros in emergency plan for breeders and milk producers. These new funds will be used in particular to fund reduced charges, restructuring of loans or audits on production costs. The Front National, only opposition party, did not vote the measure that “does not challenge a biased price system imposed by large retailers.”
“This is the system that is failing”
For Mickaël Poillon, dairy farmer in the Pas-de-Calais, the problem is elsewhere.”Emergency plans succeed for years and it does not get better. It proves that the system is broken, “he says. He produces milk in a human size operation that is not in crisis. “We must end the productivity system, the race for the farm size and competitiveness,” he goes on to explain how he has taken hold of his cooperative and that since then his situation is better.
“A regulation at the European level”
In a reverse argument, the measures announced by Xavier Bertrand will go “the right way” to the FDSEA. The union argues in effect for loads drops to lower production costs and thus attempt to align with European competition. “But it’s still the urgency to try to set the background of the price problem would require a regulation at European level,” says one to the FDSEA. “It is engaging in a race we can not win rather than emphasizing the added value,” laments Mickaël Poillon.
Anyway, even to manage the emergency, it is not enough. “It still missing nearly four million of the State”, which ensures the FDSEA maintaining its call to protest on Wednesday if the money has not arrived by then.
