Emmanuel Macron asked on Monday several ministers gathered to monitor the agricultural crisis for a “total mobilization” to “strengthen” the sector without relaxing “environmental efforts”, and detailed the timetable and the method to try to respond to the demands of the farmers.
“We must strengthen our agriculture while maintaining our objectives of reducing phytosanitary products and our environmental efforts,” said the Head of State, according to comments reported to the press by the Elysée.
“Let us not give in to the demagogies of the moment. We must make it simple and strong while being responsible for the French,” he added.
The president also called for “succeeding in agriculture what we have achieved in industry”, in reference to green reindustrialization which he regularly highlights as a success in his record.
Immediately, the Elysée announced the holding on Tuesday in Bercy around the Ministers of Economy and Agriculture, Bruno Le Maire and Marc Fesneau, of a new meeting “on farmers’ cash flow plans and the way to help them”, with the tax authorities, banks, insurers and the agricultural social mutuality.
The Head of State “requested a departmental census” of “all farms in difficulty” requiring support “in terms of cash flow”, explained those around him. And he decided to set up, for the next two months, a permanent office in each sub-prefecture to “resolve individual situations in conjunction with the various State services and operators”.
Finally, “he asked Bercy to launch a project on floor prices with all professional agricultural organizations”, with the objective of achieving success in view of the future bill that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised to present by summer on farmers’ income.
According to his services, Emmanuel Macron asked agricultural unions on Saturday “to come up with four or five demands strong enough to structure trade”. He hopes for their return “within ten days” in order to “work on these demands” in view of the new meeting he has given them in three weeks at the Elysée.
Behind this request, there is “the desire to establish a common reference framework”, “to have a few measures identified by all the stakeholders”, explained an advisor. “We must now end the crisis and agree on the few fundamental measures to make a difference for farmers and allow farmers to return home peacefully and to have been heard,” added another advisor.