This world will manage to starve those who feed it!
"I have the feeling that some people are waiting for only one thing: our downfall," accuses Christophe Girard, a 51-year-old dairy farmer. In an open letter to presidential candidates, he describes his attachment to his profession and explains his difficulties, "for things to change".
The purpose of this letter is to question you about an alarming situation. Its purpose is to explain my problem to you, but I think it fits into a more general framework.
I am a small 51-year-old dairy farmer at the head of an 84 hectare farm. I started working on this farm when I was fourteen when my father fell ill. He died later. I find myself today in a difficult financial situation, coupled with an extremely degraded state of health.
For the past fourteen years, my physical and moral condition has not ceased to be a problem in order to continue to take care of the exploitation. I had five back surgeries. At the moment, I have a 20% medical doctor's acknowledgment of disability, entitling me to a pension of around 600 euros per quarter. This recognition was complicated to obtain since I had to appeal to a first opinion from a “crooked” medical consultant, who had previously set the disability rate at 12%. A year ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a syndrome characterized by diffuse pain all over the body associated with extreme fatigue and sleep disturbances. This disease prevents people who have it from carrying out their daily activity. The situation has continued to deteriorate since then, my state of health regularly prevents me from doing my work, which further degrades my morale. I am on a very heavy drug treatment and I have to travel regularly to Poitiers (every two weeks) to follow an experimental treatment at the CHU. I would like to point out that these trips are not covered by social security. I made a file at the end of 2011 at the MSA to review my disability situation. To date, I still do not have an official answer.
Since then, the financial situation has deteriorated more and more. My state of health forced me to take an employee for nine years. But this financial deterioration did not allow me to continue this work contract and this human relationship. I could no longer pay him. In addition to the termination indemnities due to the employee (which I understand completely), I had to pay a training allowance of 5 euros to Pôle emploi so that he could train (which he did not have benefited). Unable to pay this large sum at once, I had to ask for a schedule, which resulted in me paying interest.
These financial difficulties are accentuated by an obligation to remunerate a body of advice and accounting (Cerfrance) to defend my cause. For a delay in payment linked to these financial problems, my insurance to which I have been loyal for 35 years and to whom I pay the sum of 5 euros per year, this year refuses to insure me. I am well aware of the good will of the people with whom I am used to dealing, but the head office of this insurance refuses my situation. Finally, I was unable to benefit from the premiums and aid due to the drought (unlike the neighboring farmers) because my situation as a dairy farmer allowed me to have an income. My farm was however affected, like the neighboring farms, by this climatic episode.
Today, I defend a project on my farm which has a double purpose. I wish to bring exploitation to standards and improve our working conditions while ensuring the continuity and viability of my profession, my passion, my personal and family history. This year, I chose to train an apprentice, Victor Prêt, who is highly motivated, in order to pass on my experience, my skills, my values, my philosophy of this fine job but also my operations. In order to finance this project, I applied for a loan to the bank, to which I have also been faithful for many years. However, given my state of health and my big financial problems, my bank is slow to grant me a loan either without insurance, or with insurance at an exorbitant price.
Today, what future do we offer to the agricultural world? I wish to defend the cause of small farms that can meet a rising demand for thoughtful, quality production, which does not correspond to intensive agriculture, the harms of which we see today. In a region that promotes agriculture and the transmission of the profession to young people, what aids are available for our young people who want to settle, who have the passion for this profession and the courage to choose it, especially when they are not not from this environment (which is the case of my apprentice but also of many young people that I had the opportunity to meet)? I cannot currently pay my apprentice regularly, but he remains motivated and still as passionate about the profession.
Today, I am not satisfied with the place made on this subject in the electoral debate and the candidates' proposals. Admittedly, it concerns a small part of the population in terms of employment, but it corresponds to a real social issue and a real problem of consumption. I am no longer unionized, their actions were not suited to my situation and my operation. I want to be able to support my small farm and want to reimburse my creditors. Humanly, I have the feeling that people do not consider my illness and my situation. We can't make a living, but we have to get up every morning to do our work. I have the feeling that some people expect only one thing: our fall.
I wish to secure a future for my family, my two sons, so that they can carry out the studies they want. I want my work to allow them to pay them. This situation hurts those around me: my wife, my sons, family, friends ... fortunately for us, our social life and the solidarity of those around us allow us to continue living.
Each year, 800 farmers commit suicide, hide to die, without saying anything. I choose to speak, to reveal my situation, to expose my life by also exposing myself to the risk of undergoing a big disappointment, so that things change! Today, I am asking for your help and a concrete response from you, but know that if this does not succeed, I am ready to take more radical action. I want to keep my farm and pass it on in order to perpetuate my history, my heritage, my values, my life.
This world will manage to starve those who feed it!
Source: http://blogs.mediapart.fr/edition/les-i ... m-ceux-qui
