Paris (F)
An Agricultural Show between selfies and boos for Macron
The French president bowed to the ritual of visiting the show on Saturday, distilling solutions to the ills that worry the French, drought and inflation in mind. Not always well received.
Published
In 2022, the Presidential visit to the Agricultural Show was very quick, at the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, and the show was canceled in 2021 due to Covid. This year, Emmanuel Macron has returned to tradition.
REUTERS
A “water sobriety plan” to deal with the drought. An urgent appeal to supermarket chains to contain food prices. At the Agricultural Show, which he inaugurated Saturday at the Porte de Versailles, in the south of Paris, Emmanuel Macron wanted to offer sketches of solutions to the ills that worry the French. Selfies, crowd baths but also sometimes boos accompanied the French president in his long stroll which was to last 13 hours among the stands.
At a time when some fear a “red march”, which would see food prices soar even more, Emmanuel Macron considered that “those who must make an effort on their margins are the distributors”, considering that the producers had done their apart given the explosion in their costs.
A water sobriety plan
While France is experiencing an episode of historic drought this winter, the Head of State has also pleaded for a “water sobriety plan” on the model of the “energy sobriety plan” launched to contain the effects of the war in Ukraine. The formula hit the mark and electricity consumption in France fell significantly.
“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 “, he explained, adding that it was necessary to resolve at the “end of abundance”.
“What are you for?”
In the midst of good-natured exchanges, it was on this climate issue that the President of the Republic was strongly challenged by an activist from the “Last renovation” collective. Sporting a t-shirt crossed out with a “What are you for?” the young man criticized Emmanuel Macron for his inaction on the climate. “I’m here to tell you that we won’t stop, because we can’t stop asking nicely,” he told her. “You are the demonstration of a form of civic violence,” replied the president.
A little later, near the stands of the wine industry, Emmanuel Macron was greeted by shouts and boos. “It’s a fair that’s going well. These small events are normal,” put the president into perspective.
Actions for fishermen and farmers
For farmers, breeders, fishermen, Emmanuel Macron has multiplied the gestures. He thus ruled out supporting a trade agreement with the four Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay), concluded in 2019 with the EU but not yet ratified. For the fishing industry, fuel aid will be extended until October.
But farmers are calling for a relaxation of the constraints that weigh on farmers. Most believe that the tap of pesticides available to them has dried up too much in recent years, leaving them facing “dead ends” when it comes to controlling pests.
“People don’t talk to me that much about pensions!”
Reconnecting with tradition, Emmanuel Macron is also putting an end to the media discretion observed since the start of the debates on pension reform. While a few visitors with signs calling for a return to retirement at age 60 were kept away from the Head of State’s wanderings, the latter defended his reform which maintains the pay-as-you-go system, pointing out that there was “only one solution: to work more”. “People don’t talk to me that much about pensions!” he finally sighed.
(AFP)