The issue of WTO epizootic haemorrhagic disease continues. The ELB trade union called on the elected officials of the Northern Basque Country on 20 November to discuss the damage caused by the disease. It has damaged 1,700 of the 4,700 farms in the department and breeders have called for urgent and direct aid to deal with the crisis: “We want simple, quick and direct support.”

It was attended by members of the Socialist Party, vice-president of the Basque College of Urban Helmets and alternate members of Max Brisson senator of the Atlantic Pyrenees. The region of New Aquitaine and the Department of Atlantic Pyrenees were not present, and Suprefecto did not respond to the invitation of the breeders. Ugo Arbelbide, a member of the OECD, pointed out that the first step was to “raise awareness of elected officials” and then “ask what they can do at their level and their political support”. They want to convey to the elected officials the “fear” felt by the peasants in the face of the situation. However, Arbeldib pointed out that they do not know “dates and modalities” of the aid scheme by the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau.

Complicated context

It adds that the situation has been aggravated by previous difficulties such as droughts, inflation in the cost of animal feed and health problems such as bovine tuberculosis: “It feels like it may be a drop of water that bounces the vessel and may push some farmers out of business.”