(23 Feb 2019) President Emmanuel Macron pledged Saturday to protect European farming standards and culinary traditions threatened by aggressive foreign trade practices that see food as a "product like any other."
Macron's speech at his country's premier agriculture fair was aimed at assuaging French farmers' anger at government policies seen as favouring urban elites and neglecting the heartland cherished for producing famed cheeses and wines.
Europe's "civilisation of eating well, of gastronomy, of the art of living" is now threatened by world powers that pursue aggressive trade policies and "consider food a product like any other," without taking into account environmental, health or culinary concerns, Macron said.
He spoke amid European Union talks on its next agricultural aid plan, a major source of funding for French farmers.
He appealed for unity at those talks and argued against calls to re-nationalise French farming policy.
Macron is trying to tackle the concerns head-on by spending all day Saturday at the Salon d'Agriculture in Paris, where farmers showcase their livestock, food and wines.
He is meeting with dairy farmers, pork producers, vintners and others.
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