Overview
- Congress sessions in Auch opened with closed-door debates, with a presidential ballot scheduled for Wednesday morning and results expected late morning, decided by departmental section presidents holding weighted mandates.
- Incumbent Véronique Le Floc’h urges consolidation through dialogue with authorities after the union’s surge to control 11 chambers of agriculture and nearly 30% of farmers’ votes.
- Challenger Bertrand Venteau, president of the Haute-Vienne chamber, is backed by influential southern sections and emphasizes giving more sway to departmental teams and tougher street actions.
- Leaders from Gers and Lot-et-Garonne point to high-impact protests, call for national help covering activists’ fines, and seek stronger representation on the national committee.
- The showdown follows months of insults and threats inside the union and comes as the Cour des comptes has sanctioned the Lot-et-Garonne chamber’s management.