EXPLAINED: Why petting cows at the Paris farm show is crucial for French politicians
Farmers represent less than five percent of France's workforce, yet for any French presidential hopeful a trip to the agriculture show and some time spent petting cows is crucial. As the 2023 event begins, we take a look at the link between farmers and politicians.
Every year, a small part of Paris transforms into a huge farm. Farmers from all over the France bring their finest sheep, cows and pigs into the capital to show them off at the Salon d’agriculture (Agricultural fair).
The 2023 show begins on Saturday and as well as farmers, there will be a lot of politicians there - as the Salon has over the years become a 'mist do' activity for anyone who has presidential ambitions in France.
READ MORE: What you need to know about the 2023 Paris agriculture show
French media have made something of a sport of measuring how much time the country's presidents dedicate to the Salon. Francois Hollande spent 10 hours in his time, Jacques Chirac a little more than five. Nicolas Sarkozy “never spent more than four,” according to French web media Ici.
Meanwhile President Emmanuel Macron's 14-hour-long visit in 2018 was the longest ever of a sitting President.
Few other professions in France get this much alone time with the President - and the media attention to go with it.
Paradoxically, farmers do not represent a particularly large part of the French workforce. The number of farmers in France has been steadily declining for decades, from 4 million in 1963 to around 900,000 in 2016. In 2016 farmers represented only 3.6 percent of the active population.
READ MORE: 'Farming doesn't feed us': The story of France's ailing agriculture
So what explains French farmers’ political clout?
“France is gastronomy,” Nadine, 62, from Savoie, near the Swiss border, told The Local at the 2019 show.
Foreigners know France as a country overflowing with carefully cultivated cheese and wine. It's a stereotype rooted in reality. France is a country that prides itself in its tender entrecôtes (beef) and savoury hams.
“We probably have more types of cheese than there are days in the year,” said Daniel, 64, who was travelling with Nadine.
“The Salon is a way to make people discover all the good, local products.”
Nadine, 62, and Daniel, 64, had come with bus all the way from Savoie. “It’s important to see what our country has to offer,” Daniel said. “There may well be as many different kinds of cheeses in France as there are days in the year.”
Here tasting an Armagnac (“pas horrible!”) pic.twitter.com/1ifaB3ZUNu
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
French people know that they owe these products to their farmers, but that they in turn are a group of society in decline. There were 460,000 French farms in 2019, compared to 750,000 two decades ago.
"These are people who work very hard for very little in return," said Alain, 70.
He and his wife Marie-Claude had driven in from their home in Essonne, like they do every year, to show their support for French farmers.
“They try so hard to make it work. It’s like a religion to them,” Alain said.
Alain and Marie-Claude drove in from l’Essone early this morning, like they do every year. It’s “important to show support for farmers” and “show Parisians what rural life is really like,” they said. pic.twitter.com/58vfzEow9S
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Alain: I didn’t see the President pet a single cow (on Saturday)
Journalist: and is it important to pet the cows?
Alain and Marie-Claude: bah OUI!
Petting cows, they explained, shows that you’re not too good for the cows, and by extension the farmer.
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
French politicians know that their people care about rural France and its farmers - the show regularly attracts around 600,000 visitors over the course of a week.
At the Salon politicians prove their appreciation for France's fine food culture and show they are proche du peuple (close to the people) - a phrase that echoed from both farmers and visitors on Monday.
“When you’re petting a cow, it doesn’t smell good. But it’s important to do it Because the farmers do it,” Marie-Claude said.
Coming to the salon was to her a way of reminiscing about her childhood in the countryside of Dordogne, southwest France.
Alain said Macron was not proche du peuple but lit up when asked about former President Jacques Chirac.
“Chirac! Now that was something else. He really was a man of the people,” he said.
Former French President Jacques Chirac never missed the Salon d'Agriculture - except after a car accident in 1979. Photo: AFP“
In his time as President of the French Republic, it was Chirac who really refined the art of the agricultural show.
When he visited the Salon - which he did every year except one from 1972 until 2011 - he made a point of talking to everybody and over the years was pictured petting a variety of animals.
"He knew about farming, he was from Corrèze. You really felt that he understood the farmers,” Marie-Claude added.
“And he was not afraid to muddy his boots!” Alain said.
French farmers work long hours, from early in the morning to late at night. Yet many earn salaries that are far below the French minimum wage. Two out of five earn less than €4,320 a year.
For Pierrik, 20, and Aurélien, 16, that was a part of the deal that they had reckoned with a long time ago.
“I’ve dreamed about becoming a farmer since I was a kid," Pierrik said. "It's a passion more than anything."
Pierrik is currently interning at Aurélien's parents' farm.
They start their day at 6am and kept on going until 7pm ("sometimes longer," Pierrik said).
The boys were standing next to Légende, a five-year-old Blonde d'Aquitaine cow they had brought to exhibit.
Aurélien proudly explained that Légende was a product of long and careful planning that began at least 15 years before she was born.
"This is a window into our world," Aurélien said.
None of them were impressed with their political rulers' efforts to mingle.
"[Macron] claims to be close to the people, but he didn't take the time to speak to us when he came," Pierrik said.
“It’s a passion more than anything. We’re born into it,” Pierrik said.
The cow, Légende, is 5. Her life started well before that though, she’s the result of more than 15 years of careful planning.
“(The salon) is a window into our world,” said Aurélien, 16 and co-farmer. pic.twitter.com/BL6bQOQaij
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Others defended the President's efforts.
“A president who spends that many hours inside the Salon is someone who loves his people,” said Laurent Callu, the President of the Paris branch of the national Fédération de la Boucherie et des Métiers de la Viande (Federation of Butchers and Meat professionals, FBMV).
He was standing next to a sealed off ring where visitors were eagerly watching the annual butchery school competition.
Prospective butchers were chopping, slicing and packing large chunks of meat in front of a severe-looking judge.
Laurent Callu, butcher and unionist, said the #SalonAgriculture enables important communication between farmers and politicians. Here he’s showing me the butcher’s competition. pic.twitter.com/qGHf51KmbY
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Butchery is an example of a French food related profession that is peppered with national pride.
Prospective butchers undergo a strenuous education programme to obtain their diploma. The competing students were visibly sweating as they worked, frequently checking their watches for the time.
Callu became a butcher himself 35 years ago. When asked if his profession - like farming - was becoming increasingly difficult to live from, he said that "all professions are hard."
“If you love your profession, it’s not hard."
Callu grew up on a farm and first visited the Salon at four years old.
"I’ve known this all my life. I know how important it is to come here and show what rural France has to offer," he said.
“Many people today don’t know what a farm is," he said.
“This is a place where everyone meets. It’s magical.”
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Every year, a small part of Paris transforms into a huge farm. Farmers from all over the France bring their finest sheep, cows and pigs into the capital to show them off at the Salon d’agriculture (Agricultural fair).
The 2023 show begins on Saturday and as well as farmers, there will be a lot of politicians there - as the Salon has over the years become a 'mist do' activity for anyone who has presidential ambitions in France.
READ MORE: What you need to know about the 2023 Paris agriculture show
French media have made something of a sport of measuring how much time the country's presidents dedicate to the Salon. Francois Hollande spent 10 hours in his time, Jacques Chirac a little more than five. Nicolas Sarkozy “never spent more than four,” according to French web media Ici.
Meanwhile President Emmanuel Macron's 14-hour-long visit in 2018 was the longest ever of a sitting President.
Few other professions in France get this much alone time with the President - and the media attention to go with it.
Paradoxically, farmers do not represent a particularly large part of the French workforce. The number of farmers in France has been steadily declining for decades, from 4 million in 1963 to around 900,000 in 2016. In 2016 farmers represented only 3.6 percent of the active population.
READ MORE: 'Farming doesn't feed us': The story of France's ailing agriculture
So what explains French farmers’ political clout?
“France is gastronomy,” Nadine, 62, from Savoie, near the Swiss border, told The Local at the 2019 show.
Foreigners know France as a country overflowing with carefully cultivated cheese and wine. It's a stereotype rooted in reality. France is a country that prides itself in its tender entrecôtes (beef) and savoury hams.
“We probably have more types of cheese than there are days in the year,” said Daniel, 64, who was travelling with Nadine.
“The Salon is a way to make people discover all the good, local products.”
Nadine, 62, and Daniel, 64, had come with bus all the way from Savoie. “It’s important to see what our country has to offer,” Daniel said. “There may well be as many different kinds of cheeses in France as there are days in the year.”
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Here tasting an Armagnac (“pas horrible!”) pic.twitter.com/1ifaB3ZUNu
“They try so hard to make it work. It’s like a religion to them,” Alain said.
Alain and Marie-Claude drove in from l’Essone early this morning, like they do every year. It’s “important to show support for farmers” and “show Parisians what rural life is really like,” they said. pic.twitter.com/58vfzEow9S
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Alain: I didn’t see the President pet a single cow (on Saturday)
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Journalist: and is it important to pet the cows?
Alain and Marie-Claude: bah OUI!
Petting cows, they explained, shows that you’re not too good for the cows, and by extension the farmer.
French politicians know that their people care about rural France and its farmers - the show regularly attracts around 600,000 visitors over the course of a week.
At the Salon politicians prove their appreciation for France's fine food culture and show they are proche du peuple (close to the people) - a phrase that echoed from both farmers and visitors on Monday.
“When you’re petting a cow, it doesn’t smell good. But it’s important to do it Because the farmers do it,” Marie-Claude said.
Coming to the salon was to her a way of reminiscing about her childhood in the countryside of Dordogne, southwest France.
Alain said Macron was not proche du peuple but lit up when asked about former President Jacques Chirac.
“Chirac! Now that was something else. He really was a man of the people,” he said.
Former French President Jacques Chirac never missed the Salon d'Agriculture - except after a car accident in 1979. Photo: AFP“
In his time as President of the French Republic, it was Chirac who really refined the art of the agricultural show.
When he visited the Salon - which he did every year except one from 1972 until 2011 - he made a point of talking to everybody and over the years was pictured petting a variety of animals.
"He knew about farming, he was from Corrèze. You really felt that he understood the farmers,” Marie-Claude added.
“And he was not afraid to muddy his boots!” Alain said.
French farmers work long hours, from early in the morning to late at night. Yet many earn salaries that are far below the French minimum wage. Two out of five earn less than €4,320 a year.
For Pierrik, 20, and Aurélien, 16, that was a part of the deal that they had reckoned with a long time ago.
“I’ve dreamed about becoming a farmer since I was a kid," Pierrik said. "It's a passion more than anything."
Pierrik is currently interning at Aurélien's parents' farm.
They start their day at 6am and kept on going until 7pm ("sometimes longer," Pierrik said).
The boys were standing next to Légende, a five-year-old Blonde d'Aquitaine cow they had brought to exhibit.
Aurélien proudly explained that Légende was a product of long and careful planning that began at least 15 years before she was born.
"This is a window into our world," Aurélien said.
None of them were impressed with their political rulers' efforts to mingle.
"[Macron] claims to be close to the people, but he didn't take the time to speak to us when he came," Pierrik said.
“It’s a passion more than anything. We’re born into it,” Pierrik said.
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
The cow, Légende, is 5. Her life started well before that though, she’s the result of more than 15 years of careful planning.
“(The salon) is a window into our world,” said Aurélien, 16 and co-farmer. pic.twitter.com/BL6bQOQaij
Others defended the President's efforts.
“A president who spends that many hours inside the Salon is someone who loves his people,” said Laurent Callu, the President of the Paris branch of the national Fédération de la Boucherie et des Métiers de la Viande (Federation of Butchers and Meat professionals, FBMV).
He was standing next to a sealed off ring where visitors were eagerly watching the annual butchery school competition.
Prospective butchers were chopping, slicing and packing large chunks of meat in front of a severe-looking judge.
Laurent Callu, butcher and unionist, said the #SalonAgriculture enables important communication between farmers and politicians. Here he’s showing me the butcher’s competition. pic.twitter.com/qGHf51KmbY
— Ingri Bergo (@ingribergo) February 24, 2020
Butchery is an example of a French food related profession that is peppered with national pride.
Prospective butchers undergo a strenuous education programme to obtain their diploma. The competing students were visibly sweating as they worked, frequently checking their watches for the time.
Callu became a butcher himself 35 years ago. When asked if his profession - like farming - was becoming increasingly difficult to live from, he said that "all professions are hard."
“If you love your profession, it’s not hard."
Callu grew up on a farm and first visited the Salon at four years old.
"I’ve known this all my life. I know how important it is to come here and show what rural France has to offer," he said.
“Many people today don’t know what a farm is," he said.
“This is a place where everyone meets. It’s magical.”
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