On March 17, 2025, Pierre Alessandri, a farmer and trade unionist, was
shot three times in the back while on his farm near Ajaccio. A fierceanti-corruption activist, he was one of the whistleblowers in the
European subsidy fraud case in Corsica. Pierre Alessandri was the
regional secretary of Via Campagnola, a Corsican farmers' union
affiliated with the Confédération Paysanne (Farmers' Confederation).
Last January, Corsica experienced an unprecedented upheaval: Via
Campagnola won the elections to the Chamber of Agriculture in both
Corsican departments, a historic victory against the FNSEA (National
Federation of Farmers and Trade Unions), which had previously held sway.
Far from being a simple union changeover, this shift signals the end of
impunity for some. Pierre Alessandri publicly denounced the massive
fraud in livestock subsidies, a well-oiled system that allowed the
misappropriation of public funds with the complicity of elected
officials and the majority union.
The scandal exploded shortly before 2020: between 2015 and 2019,
European aid supposed to support livestock farming in Corsica was
diverted by fictitious farmers, some receiving subsidies from
non-existent herds. A veritable mafia-like economy, estimated at over
EUR36 million[1]. The government's response? A bureaucratic tinkering:
requiring Corsican cattle to wear a microchip, the infamous "bolus,"
supposedly guaranteeing payment of head subsidies[2]. A paltry measure
in the face of a system rooted in decades of special treatment and cronyism.
Pierre Alessandri has never stopped denouncing these practices. He
continued, despite the threats, despite the arson attack that ravaged
his farm in 2019. He persisted until the violence reached its peak. On
March 17, he was shot dead.
While several Corsican figures, pro-independence activists, and farmers
paid tribute to him, the silence from the state was chilling. A lukewarm
statement from Annie Genevard on X, and then nothing more. As for the
FNSEA (National Federation of Agricultural Workers), it is careful not
to comment on a crime that highlights the fraudulent practices and
collusion from which it has benefited for too long.
This human tragedy goes beyond Corsica alone. It is part of a broader
logic: that of the total impunity granted to the agro-industrial
complex. By turning a blind eye to the mafia-like practices of the
majority union and large farmers, the state is complicit in the collapse
of the peasantry. It endorses agriculture in the hands of the powerful,
to the detriment of those who truly feed the population.
This crime must not make us give in. It must resonate as a call to
strengthen solidarity within our social camp, to stand alongside those
who, every day, defend a vibrant, environmentally friendly, peasant
agriculture. We will continue the fight, with even greater
determination. We will stand firm, for vibrant countryside!
Lysandre (UCL Vosges)
Validate
[1]https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/201218/la-corse-secouee-par-un-scandale-de-fraude-aux-aides-agricoles.
[2]"Pose de bolus sur les herdels bovins", DRAAF Corse, 2024.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Assassinat-de-Pierre-Alessandri-La-violence-au-service-de-l-agro-industri
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