The meeting promises to be electric.
The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will inaugurate the International Agricultural Show (SIA), Saturday February 24, with "an unfiltered and free-wheeling debate", according to the Élysée formula, with farmers.
The anger of the latter, which peaked at the end of January with several blocked highways, has only partially subsided since the various government announcements.
The press conference of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Wednesday February 21 is the latest illustration of this.
Despite new measures concerning the use of pesticides in France or the announcement of a new version of the Egalim law for the summer, farmers are maintaining the pressure.
The majority agricultural union FNSEA and the Young Farmers (JA) have notably planned in Paris on Friday evening a "procession" of farmers led by a few tractors and ending in front of the doors of the Show, where several of them could camp until the arrival of the president the next day.
For its part, Rural Coordination, the second union in the sector, is also planning a demonstration on Friday in Paris.
The anticipation surrounding the Head of State's visit to the Agricultural Show is very high.
The President of the Republic must embody "the software change" of France and Europe on agriculture, and the emphasis placed on "French food sovereignty", underlined the boss of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, Wednesday on France 5.
“What is happening is unprecedented in the agricultural world for almost 30 years! There is real doubt about the execution of the word, people say: “As long as I don’t see it, I don’t believe it! "We are expecting a lot from the President's comments on Saturday.”@rousseautrocy in #CàVous pic.twitter.com/LYrphLeLoQ
— C to you (@cavousf5) February 21, 2024
Added to this context is the need for an ecological transition presented by the government as essential and the looming European elections (June 9), for which polls give the National Rally (RN) well ahead, far ahead of the list. of the presidential majority.
However, by wanting to satisfy the main farmers' unions, while pursuing both the environmental and climatic objectives of France and electoral objectives against the RN, Emmanuel Macron's task promises to be delicate, as the contradictions are numerous. .
Overview.
On food sovereignty
Gabriel Attal promised Wednesday to place agriculture "among the fundamental interests" of the country, in the same way as security or defense.
“The objective of agricultural and food sovereignty” will be written “black and white” in the future agricultural orientation bill, he said.
Since the executive mentioned food sovereignty during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and then during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the notion has never been clearly defined.
The future “bill for sovereign agriculture” is tackling this, according to Le Parisien, which was able to consult the document.
“French food sovereignty means the ability to ensure its food supply within the framework of the internal market of the European Union and its international commitments,” indicates the bill, according to the daily.
However, there are "several contradictions" in this objective, notes Thierry Pouch, economist, head of the studies and foresight department at the Permanent Assembly of Chambers of Agriculture, associate researcher at the REGARDS laboratory at the University of Reims Champagne- Ardennes.
“On the ban on imports of fruits and vegetables treated with thiacloprid, for example, the idea of sovereignty would require us to initiate a production policy which makes it possible to cope with the announced shortage of these products. However, nothing was announced concerning this component", underlines the researcher.
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Moreover, and even if the executive repeatedly repeats that France is opposed to the conclusion of the free trade treaty between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) , it not only remains present at the table of negotiations, which have lasted for more than 20 years, but also subscribes to the logic of the free trade treaties desired by Brussels.
However, these treaties result in the importation of foreign products which threaten certain French sectors, in addition to increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, while waiting for the government's precise definition of "agricultural and food sovereignty", "everyone will be able to hear what they want", believes Thierry Pouch.
A way for the executive to satisfy both those in favor of the ecological transition and those who are more reluctant.
On the ecological transition
The Prime Minister's series of announcements concerning pesticides, in particular, particularly irritated environmental defenders.
Between the pausing of the Écophyto plan and the abandonment of Nodu, the indicator used to measure the reduction in the use of pesticides in France, in favor of the European indicator HRI-1, considered less effective by NGOs, the disappointment is great.
“It is a renunciation of a French ambition that is more protective of the health of citizens and farmers,” Sandrine Bélier of the Humanity and Biodiversity association told AFP.
“This decision clearly goes against history,” lamented Thomas Uthayakumar, director of advocacy at the Foundation for Nature and Man.
“This clearly goes against all the recommendations. Changing the thermometer is not the solution,” he added.
It is “a total repudiation” of the Écophyto plan and a “real sleight of hand which will put a stop to any dynamic in terms of change towards agroecological production systems”, criticizes the Générations futures association.
“There is no questioning of our objectives in terms of environmental protection, the same goes for the fight against global warming,” insists the Élysée, while Emmanuel Macron had affirmed , between the two rounds of the 2022 presidential election, that his future five-year term “will be ecological or it will not be”.
Beyond the issue of pesticides, the government remains in a productivist logic put in place at the end of the Second World War and advocated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, even though a study of the French Nutrition Society and Climate Action Network published on February 20 invites the French to halve their meat consumption to reduce their carbon footprint in particular.
“We cannot make fundamentally different types of agriculture coexist,” said Gaspard Manesse, spokesperson for the Confédération paysanne d’Île-de-France, the third agricultural union which defends another vision of agriculture, on February 21 on France Bleu Paris. agriculture than that of the FSNEA.
So to put it: the government must make a choice and stop trying to please everyone.
On farmers' income
Gabriel Attal announced on February 21 a new version for the summer of the Egalim law, the aim of which was to improve producers' income.
This will be a fourth version of this text, which has failed to achieve its objectives so far.
The question of income is central to farmers' demands and is shared by all unions.
However, and unlike other issues for which the government prides itself on having been able to respond quickly – 50% of the 62 commitments made have already been achieved according to Matignon – “the question of remuneration is still before us”, admitted the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, Thursday morning on France Bleu Armorique.
“We are faced with mainly large retail chains (...) who have batteries of lawyers” who “know how to circumvent” the law, he declared.
“In truth, a certain number of people in mass distribution did not want Egalim (...) because they do not want regulation (...). We are not going to back down from these powers ", added the minister.
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“We can clearly see in this speech that there is the European elections in the background, judges Thierry Pouch. The economy and politics are intertwined, in particular with the idea launched by the government and the majority of a law European Egalim. However, convincing all European partners seems to me to be an impossible mission: what production costs will serve as a reference? They are not the same in France and Poland. Not to mention the fact that the war in Ukraine is also passed this way, with an inflationary shock which discouraged consumers from buying 'high-end' products. Organic products have been particularly affected in recent months."
It therefore appears difficult to want to both fight against inflation by trying to keep prices as low as possible, while also wanting to see farmers' remuneration increase.
A distributor points out this contradiction in Challenges by recalling: "Less than a year ago, Bercy imposed on us the launch of an anti-inflation basket. Today, political leaders criticize us for lowering prices too much."
All of these contradictory objectives will be at the heart of the debate that Emmanuel Macron will have with farmers on Saturday.
Will it succeed in reconciling all the players in the agricultural world – producers, manufacturers, distributors and environmental defenders?
“This debate must bring us all together, insists the Élysée. It must make it possible to build together a common vision of French agriculture.”
However, it appears difficult to bring together stakeholders with such divergent interests.
Learning that the association Les insurrections de la Terre was invited to the debate, the FNSEA quickly warned that it would not participate if this presence was confirmed.
Emmanuel Macron preferred to step back.
“To guarantee the serenity of the debates, Earth uprisings are not invited,” the Élysée finally announced Thursday evening.
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