Overview
- An investigation published on November 7 details abusive WhatsApp exchanges among South‑West leaders, including a disputed message evoking an explosive mixture, after which a national member’s complaint prompted the Parquet de Tulle to open a case for moral harassment and threats of dangerous destruction.
- A July 23 email from Lot‑et‑Garonne leader José Pérez pressed the national office for nearly €50,000 to cover farmers’ personal fines, warning he could come to the headquarters in Gimont, while the national leadership says public funds cannot pay private penalties.
- The Cour des comptes spotlighted serious management failings in Lot‑et‑Garonne, with the procureure générale citing nepotism and a clan‑like system and noting an estimated €6 million prejudice linked to the illegally built Caussade reservoir.
- The syndicate now controls eleven chambers of agriculture and challenges the FNSEA, with its Lot‑et‑Garonne base tied to confrontational actions including the 2024 OFB office attack that led to a six‑month suspended sentence for José Pérez and a near‑year suspension of OFB farm checks.
- The November 18–19 congress in Auch will pit incumbent Véronique Le Floc’h against Bertrand Venteau, backed by the combative South‑West faction, as both camps downplay rifts yet diverge over tactics and whether to use syndicate resources for protesters’ fines.