Patting the backs of cows, tasting “100% French” and responding to arrests… Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the unmissable Salon de l’Agriculture on Saturday February 25 with a long stroll between the stands intended to take the pulse of rural France and of the country, in the midst of a standoff over pensions.
Emmanuel Macron began his visit with a round table with fishing professionals. He spoke of the difficult years for the sector, with Brexit, soaring fuel prices, and assured of his “determination to find solutions”. He announced a gesture on fuel aid which will be extended until October, according to the Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, who participated in the discussions.
After the historic drought of the summer, France could again experience many water restrictions from March, due to a lack of rain since the turn of winter. In the aisles of the show, the Head of State called for a “sobriety plan” on water and wants to set “a course” on water savings to be achieved “collectively”. This involves “better irrigation”, “more drought-tolerant varieties” and the recycling of wastewater, an area in which France lags far behind its neighbours.
“We know that we will be confronted as we were last summer with problems of scarcity (of water): rather than organizing ourselves under duress at the last moment with conflicts of use, we must plan all that “, explained Emmanuel Macron, calling for “better harvesting of rainwater”, “to have fewer leaks in the water networks” and “better distribute the use of drinking water according to the users”, in particular by “continuing to produce and invest in hill retentions”.
After admiring the muse of the show, the salers cow Ovalie, he lingered with the breeders, worrying about the maintenance of their income and the conditions for the installation of young people. He was questioned on international agreements and in particular on the draft free trade agreement between the European Union and the Latin American countries of Mercosur.
A year after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, which caused food prices to soar, and as a chronic drought sets in in France, Emmanuel Macron intends to insist during this day on the need to “strengthen the country’s food sovereignty and to support farmers in the face of environmental challenges, said the Elysée.
Emmanuel Macron, who received professionals in the sector on Thursday and Friday, will also lay down a “framework for a new approach” on phytosanitary products, with in particular less use of pesticides, and will launch a reflection on the breeding of tomorrow, integrating animal welfare. Food prices, up 12% over the past year due to the war in Ukraine and soaring energy costs, will also be at the center of attention at Porte de Versailles.
The president of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), Christiane Lambert, for her part, calls for fewer environmental constraints and advocates the establishment of a food voucher for the poorest in order to compensate for soaring prices. Rite oblige, the muse of the 59th show, the cow Ovalie, of Salers breed and mahogany dress, will be entitled from the opening to the visit of the Head of State.
If Jacques Chirac, the president whose name is most associated with the show, boasted of knowing how to “feel the ass of cows” and saw in the salers “masterpieces”, Emmanuel Macron wants to be less lyrical on the subject. . In 2018, he even castigated those who simply “pat the cows”.
His visit will nevertheless be scrutinized closely, the ritual often yielding to the unpredictable. He could in particular be questioned on the unpopular pension reform, which gave rise to heated debates in the National Assembly and will be examined from next Tuesday in the Senate, and on the soaring prices. In 2008, Nicolas Sarkozy, taken aback, launched his famous “break it, poor bastard!” to a visitor who refused to shake his hand.