(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL - Two wins for peasant agriculture (fr, pt)

Farmers score points: the Somme against the industrial project "farm Thousand Cows"; 
across the country, preventing the legalization of racketeering seed. Certainly, the 
change of tone at the last Congress of the Confederation Paysanne, pays off. Enough waxing 
the pumps socialos! ---- After his speech full of good intentions on agroecology, the 
Minister of Agriculture, Le Foll, demonstrated in practice, he supported industrial 
agriculture. Conf?d?ration Paysanne, presented with a fait accompli each "negotiation", 
decided on a more offensive strategy. This allowed him to limit the damage in the 
negotiations on the implementation of the future Common Agricultural Policy. But 
especially to obtain union victories.

Thousand Cows in the trash

The union just won in the Somme, his fight against the farm Thousand Cows. The draft 
Michel Ramery - construction contractor - was to build a factory in aboveground cows with 
a large biogas project .

After a strong mobilization and several punch actions Conf has had confirmation, January 
23, stop work and demolition of illegal buildings.

Farm Thousand Cows is evidence that A + B industrial agriculture and smallholder 
agriculture are incompatible, one being predatory another. Ramery wanted to sell milk 
below the market price (270 euros per 1,000 liters, while the price is currently around 
350 euros per 1,000 liters). This would lead to lower prices and more difficult for small 
farms. But for him, the future is to sell at that price, the others have to follow. It was 
therefore a public utility for the survival of many breeders to stop this project.

Farm-saved seed are not handbags!

The current proposal for a law against counterfeit included agriculture components. 
infringer He considered every peasant who used his own seeds instead of buying a seed! A 
strong mobilization was conducted storytelling project to make the racket mandatory.

On January 21, hundreds of farmers and peasants stormed the premises of the National 
Interprofessional Grouping seeds (GNIS) to denounce this attack on the same business 
peasant. Finally, on February 5, MEPs have voted an amendment which states that "the use 
of farm-saved seed does not constitute an infringement" .

This is a first step in the recognition of the right to reuse its seeds - what the farmers 
since the origins of agriculture, incidentally. This means that the proposed repression 
(Customs intervention, seizure and destruction of harvest) is abandoned.

It remains to fight for the right to own seeds again become whole. Conf?d?ration Paysanne 
put a fork in the door, now we must leverage to further victories.

Experience shows that it is by being offensive we earn and not leaving the box shine.

Georges Claas (AL Var)