Ecological planning, energy, agri-food... The challenges of Agnès Pannier-Runacher in Agriculture

Europe 1 with AFP 1:55 p.m., February 10, 2024

Ecological planning, energy issues, but also agri-food will be among the issues for which the Minister Delegate for Agriculture, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, will be particularly responsible, appointed Thursday in support of the already existing minister Marc Fesneau, in the midst of the crisis. scale of the sector. The minister, who held the Energy Transition portfolio in the previous government, "will be responsible in particular for ecological planning of the agricultural sector, energy issues and in particular the production of biomass, agri-food industries, as well as innovation and research,” the Ministry of Agriculture said on Saturday.

In the minister's entourage, in government for more than five years, it is emphasized that Agnès Pannier-Runacher "was entrusted with several crisis management missions" by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. “Restructuring of companies, establishment of a mask sector and supply of vaccines during the Covid-19 crisis, management of the energy crisis after Russian aggression in Ukraine”, we list from the same source, in emphasizing that “this experience will be useful in the context of the agricultural crisis, alongside Marc Fesneau”.

Race against time to calm the anger of farmers

Two weeks before the Agricultural Show (February 24-March 3) and four months before the European elections, the government, still under pressure from agricultural unions, is engaged in a race against time to calm the anger of the world peasant, which notably resulted in two weeks of blockages on the roads in France.

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No later than Friday, the FNSEA expressed its wish that this appointment of a second minister would allow the government to move “twice as fast” on the promises made recently. The delegate minister will be called upon to work "both at the national level, at the heart of the territories, as well as on the international and particularly European side", added the ministry.

Agnès Pannier-Runacher will also support Marc Fesneau "in a cross-functional and complementary manner" on issues such as "strengthening food sovereignty and the competitiveness of the agricultural and agri-food sectors, supporting farmers and foresters in the fight against climate change ", in particular, as well as "the issue of generational renewal in agriculture and the attractiveness of professions", indicated the ministry. “The two ministers will work in close cooperation to avoid any silo approach which would harm a global vision of the issues of agriculture, food and forestry,” concludes the ministry.