FRANCE
I began taking care of cows in 2015, during the struggle against an airport project in Notre-Dame-des-Landes. My activity was legalised in 2018. My 30 cows are on 60 ha of prairies. I share rotations with neighbours keeping sheep, horses, or growing other cultures. I work with members of ‘La Coopérative Bocagère’, a collective for farmers, builders and foresters. We share our living means, help each other financially, work together, and support social movements in our region. I’m the father of three young kids.
Access to land is a knot, related to the vocation crisis, the high price of legacies and land and the administrative burden. These leave an open field for agri-businessmen and projects destroying farming land.
Peasants should organise locally to make small farms financially and ecologically sustainable; and unite regionally and nationwide to face those whose short-term interests damage our environment. Loire-Atlantique makes me optimistic. It has a high rate of organic farms, with a farming goods supply network. Through demonstrations we continue to show solidarity with other activity sectors. Crises such as Covid-19, make consumers more conscious of their impact on our environment. This is a new opportunity to engage changes in farmers’ production.