Rouen (AFP)
The fire of the chemical plant Lubrizol has caused the farmers an overall damage estimated "between 40 and 50 million", said Friday in Rouen the Minister of Agriculture and Food Didier Guillaume.
The minister spoke of an "economic drama but it is also a human tragedy", referring in particular to four million euros of losses for milk producers.
"The urgency of the urgency is the slag" even if "it will be necessary that all the sectors are compensated as quickly as possible", Didier Guillaume affirmed during the first meeting in Rouen Friday of the "committee for the transparency and the dialogue "that he came to set up with the ministers of the ecological transition Élisabeth Borne, and Health Agnès Buzyn, after the fire that occurred on September 26th.
At the press conference following the first meeting of the committee Mr. Guillaume said that the prefect could as early as Friday afternoon, in conjunction with the director general of food, "raise the receivers on milk" because according to ANSES "as regards the levy for milk all the samples were negative".
The minister also promised during the committee that there would be "no organic labels that will jump" for organic productions affected by the consequences of the cloud.
In Friday's Les Echos newspaper, the newspaper revealed that Lubrizol has agreed to create a 50 million euro solidarity fund to cover the losses suffered by all farmers and other non-agricultural sectors affected.
Lubrizol will also compensate 453 breeders from six departments (Seine-Maritime, Oise, Aisne, Somme, Pas-de-Calais and North) hit by the prefectural prohibitions to produce milk, said the newspaper Joel Limousin, president of the mutual fund health and environmental risks (FMSE).
Friday morning the departmental director of Territories and Sea (DDTT) of Seine-Maritime Laurent Bresson specified during the transfer of the ministers to Rouen that there was "three million euros of destroyed production" in this department (milk , market gardening, eggs).
"It is already very consistent but it is obviously not potentially definitive," he said, adding that it represents "a fifth of the agricultural activity" department.
In all "3,000 farmers were concerned" by the consequences of the fire Lubrizol factory in Rouen on September 26, Didier Guillaume said Friday.
At the committee on Friday, which gathered about 80 people - representatives of the State, industrialists, communities, farmers, associations - the general director of Lubrizol Frederic Henry committed to "accompany" farmers, traders and inhabitants, without giving figure. A lack of financial commitment "revolting" reacted the Communist deputy of Seine-Maritime Hubert Wulfranc.
The opinion of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES), following additional analyzes conducted on all agricultural production, will be made "probably Tuesday or Wednesday," said one of its officials at of this committee.
The prefect of Seine-Maritime Pierre-André Durand promised Thursday, if this opinion is favorable, to lift its order imposing restrictions on farmers "the same day". "It will be immediate," he assured.
© 2019 AFP