Uncertain future for French farmers

Uncertain future for French farmers
By Emma Jane Kirby
BBC News, Cahors

When France takes over the European Union presidency next year, the EU is set to review the subsidies handed out by the Common Agricultural Policy. But as France is a major beneficiary, any changes French ministers accept will be watched closely by the country's farmers.

明年法國擔任歐盟的輪值主席後，歐盟就會開始認真的審視共同農業政策遞交的補助金。但由於法國是最大的受惠者，因此任何由法國部長同意下的變革都會受到法國農民仔細的關注。

There is no fast train or TGV down to Cahors, so the journey from Paris still takes a little more than five hours.

由於快車或高速鐵路都沒有行經卡奧爾，因此從巴黎南下到卡奧爾就需要五個多小時。

As the train gets closer to the Lot region, it slows up even further, as if shaking off the pressures of the big city and allowing itself to relax into the more comfortable pace of the countryside.

當列車逐漸接近洛特區，車速變得更加緩慢，彷彿是想擺脫城市的壓力似的，讓自己舒緩於較為安逸的鄉間步調。

Years ago, an elderly French friend of mine who lived in this area, told me that people down here had to move more slowly because their feet were rooted more deeply in the earth. Certainly, the farming community in the Lot is extremely close-knit, and their "attachement au terroir" - their love of the land - and the sense of belonging to it - is acute.

幾年前，我一位住在這區年長的法國朋友告訴我，來到這裡的人們必須放慢他們步伐，因為他們的腳被根植於更深的土地裡。確實，Lot區的農業社群是極其緊密結合的，而且他們"attachement au terroir"-對土地的熱愛以及歸屬感是強烈的。

When I visited him on his sheep farm, that was Alain Serres's first, excited question to me. "What do you think of the region? Do you like it?"

當我正在參觀Alain Serres的養羊場，他一開口就興奮的問我: "你認為這個地區怎樣? 你喜不喜歡? "

President Sarkozy has been speaking of the need to reform and modernise the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and Alain fears that if reform touches his sheep farm, he will be out of business.

總統Sarkozy先生曾談及共同農業政策有改革及現代化的必要，這讓Alain擔心要是改革關係到他的養羊場，他將會面臨失業的問題。

He already supplements the income he earns from his 450 sheep with a bit of pig farming and wild boar hunting, but the cost of producing a lamb far outweighs the sale price, and much as he would like to be able to make his living from what he produces, it is EU handouts that keep him afloat.

除了從自己450頭羊所賺取的收入之外他還得靠養豬場和狩獵野豬來補貼，但是產一隻小羊的花費遠比出售價高多了，即使他非常希望能夠靠著他的產出維持生計，還是得靠歐盟的補助才能免於經濟上面的困難。

Alain tells me that he fears for the future of farming in the region. Once one of the most densely populated regions of France, now there are only six or seven people per square mile. Few farmers, Alain says, would be able to withstand the loss of agricultural subsidies. The Lot would become a wilderness.

Alain告訴我他為未來這個地區的農業感到憂心。法國這個昔日人口最密集的地區，現在平均一平方英哩只剩下六七個人。Alain說，幾乎沒有什麼農人能夠禁得起失去農業補助金。這樣下去Lot將是一片荒蕪。

Policy anger

In the bustling Cahors market place though, there are no signs of desertification.

儘管如此，在熙來攘往的卡奧爾市集，仍然沒有絲毫即將荒蕪的跡象。

The mushroom man who has driven overnight from Correzes after a long day picking fungi sits sleepily among his 14 sacks of giant ceps, occasionally shouting across to the grape man in Patois.

蘑菇商人從Correze開了一整夜的車來到這裡，挑了一整天的菌類後，他疲倦的跟他那14袋大牛肝菌坐在一起，偶爾朝著對街的葡萄商人喊叫。

The whole market is a dazzling display of primary colours. Scarlet tomatoes clash with sharp green apples, custard yellow courgettes battle against the deep purple of the cabbages.

整個市集令人眼花撩亂的呈現出各種不同的原色。鮮紅的蕃茄和亮綠的蘋果成了極為衝突的顏色、 奶油蛋黃色的西葫蘆和深紫色的捲心菜也爭奇鬥艷了起來。

And led by two protest goats, complete with jangling bells, a group of young locals marches through the square waving banners that demand access to the land they believe is rightfully theirs.

參加抗議並且繫著響鈴的兩隻的山羊，領著一支由當地年輕人組成的遊行隊伍揮舞著旗幟通過廣場，要求使用土地的權利，他們相信這是他們正當擁有的。

Leading the demo is Aud Penney, a small but tough young woman who is tense with suppressed anger. "The CAP is ruining our chance to buy or rent land," she tells me.

領導示威的Aud Penney，是一位個子矮小但剛強的年輕女人，她緊繃的神情參和了經過抑制的憤怒。"共同農業政策毀了我們購買或租賃土地的希望"她告訴我。

"Any farmer who gets subsidies won't sell. "

"任何接受補助的農民誰也不會出售。"

"We know one farmer who's old enough to retire but he gets more cash in handouts than he gets from his pension so it's not in his interest to give up the land to us."

"我們知道有個農民年紀大到應該要退休了，但是他領取的補助比養老金還多，讓出土地給我們當然一點也不符合他的利益。"

France gets a fifth of all EU agriculture subsidies but 80% of them are harvested by just 20% of French farmers, the massive industrial grain and cereal producers.

法國擁有歐盟五分之一的農業補助金，其中80%的補助是分給佔法國20%的農民，這種大規模產業化的穀類及玉米片製造商。

It does not leave much for the smaller farmers like Alain Serres. And that is why many French farmers do want to see the CAP reformed so that the booty is shared out more evenly.

像Alain Serres這樣的小農幾乎什麼也沒分到。所以這也是為什麼法國農民希望看到共同農業政策落實改革，好使獲得的補助金能更平均的分配。

'Monstrous system'

As he herded sheep through the market square, Pierre Reiveillac of the left-wing union the Confederation Paysanne says there will be a revolt if the CAP is not reformed properly next year.

加入Confederation Paysanne「農事協會」這個左派工會的Pierre Reiveillac，正一邊趕著他的羊通過市集廣場一邊說著，如果明年共同農業政策沒有徹底的改革，屆時大家就會群起反抗。

I asked him if he worried that the urbanite new president - Nicolas Sarkozy - did not understand farmers the way the former President Jacques Chirac had.

我問他是否擔心新上任的總統Nicolas Sarkozy這個都市人不像前總統Jacques Chirac一樣了解農民。

He threw back his head and laughed: "Chirac knew how to scratch a cow's bottom and how to pat a goat and that's all!

他仰頭大笑說: "Chirac知道怎麼去搔搔牛的屁股、拍拍山羊，只是這樣而已! "

"It's his fault that we have this monstrous system where all our subsidies go to industrial agriculture. "

"我們今天會有這麼巨大怪異的系統把我們所有的補助金流向產業化的農業全是他的錯。"

"He's driven people away from farming... and since Sarkozy's a businessman and grain is a big business for France, can you see him let go of such a profitable scheme?"

"他已經把人們從農場上趕走了...再者因為Sarkozy是個生意人而穀類正是法國一筆大宗的生意，你想他會對這麼有利可圖的結構就此放手嗎? "

Equal share

Before I left Cahors, I slipped into its 11th Century cathedral to have a look at the medieval frescoes and to listen to the organist who was practising for Mass.

在離開卡奧爾前，我悄悄的走進一間在11世紀所建築的大教堂，想看看中世紀的壁畫並聽聽管風琴手為彌撒所做的練習。

The huge font where locals bless themselves has doubled as a bird bath courtesy of a hole in the roof and the holy water is full of feathers and bird droppings.

由於屋頂上方有個洞，當地人受洗用的聖水盆同時也成了鳥的浴缸，聖水裡滿是鳥的羽毛與排泄物。

Sitting on the stone steps of the nave, quite audible over the huge sound of the organ, I could hear Aud Penney's goats bleating in the market place and the voice of the mushroom man shouting out the price of his ceps.

坐在大廳中殿的石階上可以清楚的聆聽磅礴的管風琴聲，我卻好像聽見Aud Penney's的羊在市集咩咩的叫聲，還有蘑菇商人為他的牛肝菌嚷嚷喊價的聲音在耳邊低迴。

A reform of CAP, ensuring a more even distribution of subsidies, could help this farming community remain strong.

共同農業政策的改革，只要能保證補助金能更平均的分配，就能幫助這個農業社群更加茁壯。

But if subsidies are lost altogether or are directed again towards the big cereal producers, then I wonder what sounds I would hear on these steps 20 years from now, because I doubt very much it will be the sound of sheep or farmers.

但是倘若補助金全數失去或者再次流向幾個主要的玉米片製造商，那我很懷疑二十年後的今天，坐在相同石階上的我又會聽到什麼呢? 肯定不會是羊群和農人們的聲音。

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7027386.stm

14:09:17 GMT© BBC MMVII