European Central: Farming Takes Center Stage in French Politics
DEA / ALBERT CEOLAN
As candidates campaign for the French Presidency, farmers have become a key group that must be courted before the first round of elections on February 10th. While people may not expect farmers to be still key in 21st-century elections, farmers are still 1.5 percent of the French population and are a tough voting bloc to please. This is partly because there is now concern about a global food shortage as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. French farmers fear that new agricultural policies passed in 2021 will exacerbate the problem as some new regulations risk-reducing production, which arguable is not the appropriate action right now. The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy wants to reduce the usage of pesticides by 50 percent and fertilizers by 20 percent meanwhile reaching 25 percent of farmland that is used to produce organic produce. Agricultural income would also drop by 6 percent meanwhile food prices would soar 17 percent, exacerbating efforts of member states still working to recover from the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic.
Current French President Macron wants to focus on increasing the production of protein-rich plants such as soy by 100 percent in 10 years. He also wants to help fund training for farmers as it is expected that the number of farmers will decrease by 50 percent in only four years. Part of his plan to attract more farmers is by offering loans for 50,000 euros without requiring a guarantee. Farmers would also have to start repaying the loan two years after receiving it. Macron has an uphill battle of showing he is committed to France’s agriculture. He received approval from farmers for his role in helping create the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU but now needs to convince voters he can help modify it in order to win the election. While it appeared to be the right thing to do previously, the war in Ukraine has changed a lot of things, and now the current Common Agricultural Policy may only add to higher food prices if production would decrease along with less food imported from Russia and Ukraine.
It is important to point out that the Farm to Fork strategy is not binding, however, it can help Macron’s competitors in the election regardless, particularly those to the right of Macron. Valérie Pécresse, current president of the regional council of Ile de France (the region where Paris is located) has made the Farm to Fork strategy a key campaign issue. She views it as an attack on the sovereignty of France and insists that she will protect French agriculture. Pécresse would add additional customs tariffs on products imported into France that have lower production standards than those of the European Union. Zemmour is concerned that France has fallen from the first to third exporter of food in Europe. He also wants to end negotiations of free trade agreements with non-EU states and vows to veto them. Le Pen instead will simply exclude agriculture from free trade agreements.
To the left of Macron, Mélenchon wants to redistribute aid to farms by favoring medium and small-sized farms over larger farms. Jadot wants to distribute aid conditionally based on the density of animals on farms in order to confront industrial farming. Both candidates however may struggle to attract the support of farmers as they support phasing out pesticides completely by 2030, instead of the current EU goal of 50 percent by 2030.
Keep in mind that while only a small portion of France’s population may be farmers, the rural identity is ingrained in a larger percentage of the population. France is also fiercely protective of life in the countryside. The rooster is a famous symbol of the country and as of 2021, it has the right to cock a doodle as it may please. Maurice the rooster become well known when vacationers or residents known as “neo-rurals” moving to rural areas of France from urban areas were disgruntled with being woken up early by his calls. A court in southwest France rejected the complaint from the plaintiffs that Maurice made an unreasonable amount of noise in 2019. In 2021, France took it further by passing a sensory heritage law that protects the noises and smells of the countryside. While urbanites may be annoyed, the reality is that farming communities have a different way of life yet are necessary to ensure that the rest of the country is fed.
After the last presidential election in 2017 which Macron won over Le Pen, it became clear that there was a difference between which voters favored Macron and others who preferred Le Pen. Jérôme Fourquet, a political scientist discovered there was a strong correlation between the distance between a voter and a train station and which candidate likely was supported by that voter’s ballot. This relates to how Le Pen won most of her support amongst those hurt by industrialization and a lack of opportunities due to living in areas of France that are isolated. This is likely to remain true this election particularly considering the yellow vest protests that occurred in Paris after a fuel tax was proposed. Those who live in rural France felt it was unfair as they rely solely on cars for transportation due to a lack of alternatives and the price of petrol is still a concern, now caused by the sanctions placed on Russian oil. While economic inequality has persisted, Macron still stands a good chance of winning reelection. In particular, the conflict in Ukraine may help Macron as Le Pen, Zemmour, and Mélenchon have previously supported Putin but who has now been condemned by most European leaders.
Regardless of who wins the election, it is clear that several challenges will need to be addressed including battling food prices and increasing food production in France. The president will have to learn how to harmonize urban and rural France and help spread opportunities to citizens outside urban areas. Agriculture will also remain a source of pride in France and the president will have to work to keep farmers happy or potentially feel their fury.
