At 2 kg/cubic m. that’s about 830 cubic m of CO2.
Currently stuck in Marseille as the train line has been blocked somewhere by farmers and all the trains going our way are cancelled
. However, just had a wonderful Tunisian lunch and we’re in no hurry to go anywhere so it’s not a problem
.
Our daughter was headed to Carcassonne yesterday for a house/dog sit - she got on the train at 9:30 and was supposed to be in Carcassonne at around 5-ish. She took a train from Chatellerault to Poitiers, then another to Bordeaux. At that point, her train (along with all the others) to Carcassonne was canceled. She was able to get to Toulouse, where she spent the night. She had a train ticket for this morning for Carcassonne, but they cancelled that one, and put her on a bus instead. The bus made it to Castelnaudary, and then they put everyone out at the station. She was finally able to get a train to Carcassonne at noon, and arrived in Carcassonne at around 12:45. So basically, spending a night in Toulouse, she traveled for about 27 hours to get to her sit. She’s not a resident here, but she’s learning a lot about France!
Anyone know what and why please? Yesterday I dropped OH at Bordeaux airport and a manifestation had closed the Bayonne motorway - luckily we were just ahead of it. After I left the airport the rocade was at a standstill.
I’m picking him up (I hope) tomorrow evening and have been looking for updates on tomorrow, but can’t see anything.
It’s a mess in this area today as well. I’m glad I haven’t needed to travel on the A9 or the A61.
Massive farmer protests. For tomorrow, it’s a guessing game.
Bison Fute will have to be my friend. ![]()
The homeowner in Carcassonne figures that it will take her 4 hours to get to Toulouse this afternoon/evening. She said that she is taking “the scenic route”.
L’Indépendant/Midi Libre and local radio have been reporting on it, but may not cover the Bordeaux area. I don’t think they knew until this morning where the action would be.
I flew from London to Lanzarote for £50 return. I bought a rail ticket from London to Ipswich which is a one hour journey and it cost £56. Both off peak trips. I wonder why so few people in the UK use the train?
…hmm, perhaps it is time airline fuel was taxed and then there would be a bit of a difference in cost…
..just sayin’
They’re protesting about having to slaughter their entire herd if one animal is found to have highly infectious DNC (dermatose nodulaire contagieuseve / lumpy cow skin disease). Apparently it has a month long incubation period, which is why the whole herd has to be slaughtered. The farmers will be paid compensation, but you wouldn’t think that was the case.
They’re also protesting about the EU proposed trade treaty with South America, which Macron has refused to sign unless the agricultural sector is given more protection against low quality imports. But again, you wouldn’t that think this is the case
It’s all very sad and I don’t understand the technicalities.
But the government does seem to have geared up for a vaccination campaign, there was something on the radio today.
Indeed, but it will probably be too ate for many SW farmers. I was walking with this morning with someone whose son-in-law is a local vet and he was saying that they’ve been demonstrating outside the vet’s surgery.
Paying them out is not all. It’s a huge shock to lose animals and needs far more support than the cost of the animals. Farming is a hard business - if you’re a true farmer and not just a landowner - and townies saying “why are they protesting they get paid out” really have no idea.
On the radio they were suggesting that it’s not just the notional cost of the animals, it’s the generations of breeding to get them where they are, that can’t be replicated in the market place. Not being a farmer, I have no idea if that’s true or not* but I can see where the frustration comes from.
*I’m sure the generations of breeding is true but not whether similar quality can be bought on the market (perhaps more an issue of the compensation not being sufficient to buy similar quality stock).
It’s the disruption and cleaning up and starting again. It’s heartbreaking.
You smell your animals burning, if you like ![]()
3 famers committed suicide during the mad cow disease outbreak.
There is a vaccine but vaccinated cattle cannot be exported apparently.
No, I don’t like, I went through it during foot and mouth when all the cattle in my then partner’s farm and the rest of the cattle in the village were burnt in the field opposite. I also remember driving across Cumbria over endless disinfectant pads and not seeing any farm animals in the county for a year. Afterwards I had a Northern Arts residency in rural Northumbria teaching farmer’s how to build marketing websites (during which i also learnt how to photograph a tup (ram) you do it to emphasise the meaty hind quarters). I also remember a neighbouring farmer using his entire compensation to break the British auction record for a single animal when he wanted to rebuild his herd.
It was all horrible, but what was the alternative? And what is the alternative now? For me it’s a similar situation here, but on a much smaller scale and I suspect French farmers will be more generously compensated than those in Cumbria and Northumberland were.