Version française

The stance of the MSA poses a serious problem for French democracy!

WWOOFING has a real place in our society. I appeal to the MSA (Agriculture Mutual Assistance Association) to make a declaration taking into account its unique features, and to discontinue all legal proceedings against WWOOFING in France.

WWOOFING, an international movement encouraging the exploration of and initiation into organic agriculture and eco-construction, is growing in France. (WWOOF= Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). The WWOOFer, who is kindly welcomed into the organic farmer’s family, is only committed to wanting to help with and participate in the daily life and work of his host. So the WWOOFer joins the farmer in his day to day work in order to understand what it means to be an organic farmer and, according to his desires and abilities, he has the opportunity to lend a hand, voluntarily and of his own free will, and to try out the working methods that he is discovering. In no way is it a case of a working arrangement as no relationship of subordination exists. As the law on work stipulates “ in order to constitute illegal work, there must be a relationship of subordination.”  The Minister of Agriculture commends WWOOFING in his article http://agriculture.gouv.fr/generation-wwoofers  which finishes with the words:

“ WWOOFing isn’t just milking cows and goats, picking a few blackberries for jam, repairing fences or clearing fields….More than just experience on a farm with free board and lodgings, it’s first and foremost about human relationships, proof that ideas such as tolerance and trust still exist.”

In spite of this, the MSA remains hostile to this exchange and exploration which has allowed many people, after a period of WWOOFing, to end up learning the trade and setting themselves up as organic farmers. Even today, the MSA still sometimes treats wwoofing as illegal work and threatens the hosts with legal action. See:  (http://www.msa.fr/lfr/embauche/wwoofing).   In a democracy, the first port of call to deal with administrative issues that arise is to turn to the Government.

By signing this petition, I’m asking the public authorities and the MSA to give a legal status to wwoofing by issuing a statement, on behalf of the MSA, in support of unpaid voluntary agricultural help which is not subject to any professional validity, but which, with regard to respecting the sound management of farming practice, has the freedom to make its own decisions, deeds and actions. Any subscriptions received by the MSA should be used solely for insurance purposes regarding accident risks whilst engaged in WWOOFing.

I’m supporting this petition because I think WWOOFing is useful for our society in that it shares know-how and techniques of organic farming and eco-construction with a wide audience. In this way it plays a large part in ensuring a stable and harmonious development of this method of farming.