From early in the morning, parallel to the arrival of the French president to inaugurate the enormous event, dozens of people forced a fence, entered the complex early and had clashes with the security forces.
The Paris Agricultural Show this Saturday became the scene of discontent in the agricultural sector, which received French President Emmanuel Macron with whistles, boos and incidents with the Police that left six arrested and eight injured.
The situation was highly tense. From early in the morning, parallel to the arrival of the French president to inaugurate the enormous event, dozens of people forced a fence, entered the complex early and had clashes with the security forces.
“I say this for all the farmers: they do not help any of their colleagues by destroying stalls, they do not help any of their colleagues by making the salon impossible and scaring away families from coming. I appeal to everyone to calm down,” said Macron in statements to the press.
In an attempt to calm things down and in the midst of a strong security device, the French president launched a kind of informal debate in a space closed with dozens of representatives of the unions and associations of the countryside.
With them he debated for just over two hours in a sometimes tense atmosphere, but for the most part in a constructive tone. “We are all going to achieve it together,” the president stressed, with promises that the Government will not forget its commitments and will establish measures to improve the situation in the agricultural sector.
Farmers, for their part, criticized Macron for the vagueness and slowness of government initiatives in the face of the urgent and immediate needs of the sector. Macron noted that the current agricultural crisis cannot be resolved in a week and tried to explain some measures that prepares its Government to respond to the claims of the countryside.
Among the topics discussed during the debate, the use of pesticides stood out, the problems of guaranteeing water supplies for the future, the difficulties of generational change in the countryside or the implementation of a census of agricultural holdings in distress to improve State support at the treasury level.
There was also talk of the need to make the French Egalim law more effective, which guarantees farmers basic purchase prices that cover their costs, establishing bars minimum prices depending on each sector of activity.
It is a device that France wants to bring to Europe, according to Macron, to equalize the rules between different countries, since the French device is frequently raffled off thanks to the establishment of purchasing centers in other European countries, including Spain, in order to avoid French legislation.
Another issue that took center stage was the countryside’s rejection of the free trade agreement with Mercosur, something about which Macron stressed that there will be no agreement on the part of France if mirror clauses are not included.
After the meeting with the union representatives, despite the tense situation and several hours late, Macron cut the inaugural cordon of the Hall, as is tradition for French presidents, and proceeded to walk and talk with some of those present.
He had to do it under the roar of whistles and boos, as well as surrounded by a strong security device, while the incidents reignited again.
