Maud Descamps, edited by Ugo Pascolo 06:26, February 26, 2022
As the International Agricultural Show opens, France remains the European leader in the field, and the agri-food industry is the leading sector in terms of employment in France.
However, not all the lights are green.
After two years of absence, the International Agricultural Show is once again opening its doors at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center in Paris.
Some 600,000 visitors are expected from the four corners of France to come and stroll through the aisles of the Show and thus discover French agriculture.
An area in which France remains the leading European power.
450,000 workers
In detail, France is the first producer of the Old Continent for cereals, eggs and beef, the second for milk and the third for pork.
No wonder then that the agro-food industry weighs heavily in the French economy.
It is even the first in terms of employment, with nearly 450,000 workers, including 100,000 just for the meat industry.
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An aging sector
But behind these good figures, all is not green.
French agriculture is ageing, and nearly two-thirds of French farmers are aged 50 or over.
Concretely, this means that in a few years, they will be likely to retire.
However, the takeover of farms is difficult, in particular because the profession of farmer is not very attractive to young people.
It is a profession where low incomes and long working hours are legion.
According to INSEE, nearly one in five agricultural households lives below the poverty line.