Guaranteeing remunerative outlets for farmers
Farmers in Var are invited to share their views on current production and prospects for gaining food sovereignty.
During the Conférence des parties (COP) of October 7, 2025, a departmental roadmap "Approvisionnement local et de qualité en restauration collective" was signed by the préfet, the president of the Conseil départemental and the president of the Chambre d'agriculture of Var. Since then, an action plan has been validated, a study funded by the State on the Fonds vert and a diagnosis have been undertaken to evaluate the agricultural production of Var destined for collective catering and its potential for increase (increase in production, diversification or cultivation of agricultural fallow land) in order to meet the collective catering market, measure the needs of collective catering for local, raw and seasonal products to offer primary, middle and high school students, and EHPAD residents, quality products made on site, reinforcing the meaning of the profession of chef, and analyze the means of connection between producers and consumers to facilitate knowledge of suppliers, the transport of products and thus the success of this departmental project.
Farmers, across all sectors (market gardening, livestock farming, viticulture, and search for diversification...), are therefore invited to respond to the questionnaire that the Chambre d'agriculture has put online to gather this information, evaluate the potential of Var, and prefigure future directories of producers or ordering platforms depending on the chosen scenario.
UNFAIR COMPETITION While welcoming the initiative supported by the Préfecture, the Département, and the Chambre d'agriculture of Var, Max Bauer, former president of the Coordination Rurale of Var, is more skeptical about the goals to be achieved: "Strengthening food sovereignty and securing remunerative outlets are essential objectives. But beyond statements of intent, there is an urgent need to act. For too long, our farmers have been left alone to face crises, costs, unfair competition, and the indifference of public policies.
It is no longer enough to consult, we must build, decide, and invest so that our territories regain control over their food."
Now committed alongside François Cornilleau on the Union des Hyérois list, Max Bauer wished to put his 20 years of agricultural unionism at the service of a concrete ambition for Hyères agriculture: "We want to create a local dynamic, based on operational tools with a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) to unite producers, local authorities, and consumers, food halls to promote our local production, and short supply chains to supply our canteens, markets, and shops."
The former trade unionist concludes: "It is time for farmers to finally be at the heart of decisions, not on the margins. Hyères must once again become a land that feeds and provides a decent living for those who cultivate it. Because food sovereignty is not declared by decree, it is built here, on the ground, with those who produce."