Max Bauer: "Why I am committing to the Union des Hyèrois"
Born in Casablanca in 1961, by the Mediterranean that never stopped calling him, Max Bauer was 17 when he left Lycée Dumont-d'Urville...
The agricultural unionist (on reprieve since he has decided to step back from his mandate as president of the Coordination Rurale du Var) says: 'When I left school, it was not out of whim. It was out of necessity. Life, sometimes, tears you away from your desires, aborts your projects.
And against bad fortune, you need heart. I had it. Hired as a market gardener at Vergers du Plan du Pont, I then put my hands into the soil in Hyères, in this fertile plain where man dialogues with the seasons, where we quickly learn that nothing grows without love or labor.'
AN OATH 'At twenty, I created my first business, in parks and gardens. Then in 2009, I took over a horticultural farm of 9,000 m², including 6,500 m² of greenhouses. This was not a career choice.
It is an oath. One of remaining faithful to this land, to this profession, to those who live off the essentials and feed others, to Janine, my wife of 43 years, who has always supported my projects.
But being a farmer today is no longer just about producing. It is about resisting. Resisting political abandonment, blind deregulation, unfair treaties like Mercosur, which sacrifice our sectors on the altar of a globalization with neither faith nor borders.
What I defend is not the income of a profession, it is the dignity of a people. Those who rise early so that others can still eat French, without poisoning themselves.
What I defend is your health, not my balance sheet.' He continues: 'Since 2005, my union fight at the Coordination Rurale has taken me far. Today, I chair UNIPHOR, I sit on the MSA, SAFER, and Val'Hor.
In 2020, I founded Allo Agri, for my fellow farmers gnawed by loneliness and pushed to the limit by pressure. Then, the Comité interministériel du mal-être agricole opened its doors to me. Every day, the broken voices of farmers in distress echo within me.
When, in October 2024, Jean-Louis Masson presented me with the medal of the Mérite agricole, he spoke of "absolute and tireless dedication". This is not a tribute, it is a reminder. The fight goes on. Because the soil is being exhausted, water is scarce, and margins are collapsing. But the real violence is that of silence, and that of the politicians is unacceptable.'
SERVING HYÈRES 'Today, I am handing over the CR83 to a new generation. And I stand ready. Not for a position, but for a project. That of serving Hyères. Its beauty, its agriculture, its economy, its neighborhoods.
With the Union des Hyérois, led by François Cornileau, I found this rare alchemy, which is to say a sincere and ambitious territorial project, and a political vision as courageous as it is pragmatic. I am committing to a fairer, more vibrant, more protective city. A city where urban renaturalization will not be a slogan, but a reality in the face of climate change.
A city where producers will find a place in the economy, in culture, in life. Where biodiversity will once again become a daily act, not a forgotten promise.
And you, voters, citizens, consumers, you have an immense power: that of preventing the country from tearing itself apart between those who produce and those who profit. That of choosing life over resignation. That of acting for your future.
I am already getting up. As always. With my convictions and that stubborn loyalty characteristic of those who have made the choice to live for the land.'
Photo Philippe OLIVIER.