"As farmers, we are the first to be affected by climate change. We are also the ones most harmed by pesticides, with many farmers dying of cancer," said Jean Mathieu Thevenot, a 30-year-old French farmer.
The Paris Olympics are underway, and the streets are filled with joy and excitement, making one forget the scenes five months ago when a large number of angry French farmers, riding tractors, protested against the EU's green policies along the Seine River. With the conclusion of the European Parliament elections in June and the Olympics approaching, the conflict has cooled. Euronews visited French smallholder farmers in July, hoping to present a different perspective.
Ahead of the European Parliament elections, farmers across the EU staged protests. The reasons for this were numerous, but a common theme was that low-priced foreign agricultural imports prevented local produce from competing. Another issue was the Green Bill's overly restrictive "Nature Restoration Law," which required farmers to reduce pesticide use and protect peatlands, among other regulatory measures, creating a seemingly antagonistic situation between farmers and environmental groups.
"Farmers are not against ecologists. Quite the opposite, we want Europe to have higher ecological and environmental standards," Thevino clarified.
Thevino, who represents climate issues for the smallholder farmers' alliance European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), told Euronews that many interpret the conflict as a case of urban ecologists versus farmers on the land, a deliberate misrepresentation by large agribusinesses. Agribusinesses attribute farmers' discontent to excessive government environmental regulations, but the real problem lies with large chains and supermarkets that ignore farmers and climate change.
For example, he said this spring was exceptionally cold and wet, forcing farmers to delay tomato planting until summer. However, supermarkets can't wait to stock up. "They don't care about climate change at all. No tomatoes in France? Just buy from Morocco, and they're super cheap."
Thevino said small farmers are demanding fair income from agriculture. According to the ECVC, the average farmer's income in most EU countries, including subsidies, is only half that of other citizens. He supports government intervention in agricultural product prices to protect farmers.
Before the election, the ECVC repeatedly clarified that their protest was against the EU's free trade agenda, not its green policies. In reality, the climate crisis is threatening agriculture, and abandoning green policies would only make agricultural production more difficult and complex.
They say political parties are exploiting farmers to advance their own political interests. The real problem lies in free trade, which treats food as a commodity while disregarding farmers and farm workers. The EU should maintain its "farm-to-fork" strategy and supporting mechanisms, including price intervention, supply management, public inventories, and competition protection, to protect smallholder farmers.
The Nature Restoration Act was a green bill proposed by the previous European Parliament. However, political trends shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian war. The European Parliament passed the draft in late February, but a series of Council member states withdrew, nearly leading to a complete defeat. In June, the Council reversed course and formally adopted the bill.
References：
♦ Euronews (July 7, 2024),‘We are the first impacted by climate change’: Why Europe’s rural farmers support green policies
♦ The Guardian (April 26, 2024),New EU nature law will fail without farmers, scientists warn
European Coordination Via Campesina (May 30, 2024),EU elections are key for farmers, with fair prices and ending free trade agreements as central issues
♦ Associated Press (June 17, 2024),Landmark EU nature restoration plan gets the green light despite months of protests by farmers
Sources: Environmental Information Center
