Mega-basins flout farmers’ right to water in France

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
52nd session
(27 February – 4 April 2023)

CETIM and the Confédération Paysanne are concerned about the increasing construction of mega-basins in France, water storage facilities for industrial agricultural irrigation that flout farmers’ right to water.

Thanks to 70% public funding, these huge structures benefit a minority of farmers who steal water from the aquifers and increase its scarcity in the natural environment. These structures are generally linked to the intensive use of pesticides and agro-industrial practices. All biological life and family farming are endangered.

Read CETIM’s oral statement in French

Watch the video subtitled in English