French agriculture’s wild swing between right and left

President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a snap election on 30 June has upset the European political landscape, including that of agricultural policies, particularly in France, the biggest agricultural country in the EU.

Early polls in France, ahead of the election on 30 June and 7 July, suggest increasing polarisation. Macron’s presidential majority is predicted to finish third after seven years in power, trampled by the far right and the far left.

Firmly in the lead is the far-right Rassemblement national (RN), which could well represent a majority in the National Assembly, and thus lead the future government. It is followed by the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) – an alliance of the main parties on the left, and then Macron’s Renaissance.

What will happen to agriculture with Jordan Bardella (RN) or Jean-Luc Mélenchon (NFP) as prime ministers?

Let’s start with what’s divisive.

On the whole, the forces on the left want to reconcile agriculture and ecology, by planning to phase out pesticides or make organic farming more widespread. At the European level, the compass remains the Green Deal, which is supported, at least in its ambitions, by the Left in Europe.

For the Rassemblement national, these environmental standards are the main enemy. No ban on pesticides without alternatives, but yes to reduced tax and administrative burdens for farmers. The far right wants to revive French competitiveness by focusing on regulatory relief.

It is not very original and in line with the demands of sister parties in Europe.

More interesting are the convergences. The two movements on the opposite sides of the spectrum aim to do away with the free trade agreements that have been condemned by almost all the demonstrators in recent months.

Bardella’s party promises to put an end to new trade agreements between the EU and third countries, and is calling for a “moratorium” on all previous ones. Mélenchon’s party is calling for an end to the era of free trade.

Both hope to implement a “French agricultural exception” – even if the Left has abandoned the term – i.e. favouring national food production in trade negotiations.

Farmers’ income is also at the heart of the two opposing forces’ agricultural programme. They are calling for “floor prices” on agricultural commodities to ensure decent incomes for farmers.

It remains to be seen how they intend to apply this within the European framework.

On the one hand, the European Commission has exclusive competence over trade policy, and even if agreements must be validated by national parliaments to be fully applied, the agreement with Canada (CETA) – which has been in force for seven years already without the latter’s approval – shows that there is nothing imperative about it.

As for price floors, Bardella acknowledged last February that they could not be introduced at the national, or even European, level, as they would plunge France into economic abyss.

If the Rassemblement national or the Front populaire come to lead the government in July, France could start a tug-of-war with the EU over agricultural issues.

Will a French agriculture swinging between the right and the left unbalance the European agricultural policy? The question is more important than ever.

Nibbles of the week

Elected lawmakers set to shape the EU’s agrifood policy.  After last week’s first look at the familiar faces and newcomers to watch out for in the Parliament’s elections, Euractiv’s Agrifood Hub has identified all the re-elected and new lawmakers likely to influence agricultural policy during the 2024-2029 mandate.

Several prominent agricultural policy lawmakers failed to secure high enough positions on their national lists for re-election, including France’s Benoît Biteau (Greens/EFA), Jeremy Decerle (Renew), and Anne Sander (EPP).

For more on what the new parliamentary make-up could mean for the sector, listen to Euractiv’s podcast episode “Who will show up for the farmers?”.

The farmers’ party BBB will have two ministers in the new Dutch government. Femke Wiersma will be the new minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature, and Mona Keijzer will be the minister of Housing. These are two key ministries for finding a solution to the nitrogen crisis, which has affected mainly the agricultural and construction sectors, highlighting the need to reconcile their demands.ne 

Farmers warn against impact of EU’s anti-greenwashing law ahead of Council vote. Farmers worldwide have voiced concerns about new EU legislation against greenwashing, which they say penalises natural animal-derived fibers like wool and cashmere. In an open letter sent to the EU Council on Thursday (June 13), more than 880 organisations representing thousands of farmers from Australia, Europe, India, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the US criticised the law.

EU environment ministers are expected to adopt their position on the Green Claims Directive in Luxembourg on Monday (17 June) in order to start negotiations with the European Parliament, which voted on the rules in March 2023.

Commission seeks to ease use of geo-tagged photos for farm checks. The bloc’s executive published a proposal on Tuesday (11 June) to lift member states’ obligation to ensure that most farm controls under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are carried out using geo-tagged photos – photographs with location data – by 2027. 

The regulation has been discussed with member states and is open to public consultation until 9 July. 

EU countries endorse ban of Bisphenol A in food packaging. Member states have backed a proposal to ban Bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drink packaging, to protect the health of citizens and ensure “the highest food safety standards,” the European Commission said on Wednesday. 

The decision was based on scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded in April 2023 that current levels of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) had “potential harmful effects on the immune system.”  

Portugal backpedals on Nutri-score food labelling system. The Portuguese government clarified on Tuesday that the previous executive’s recommendation to adopt the controversial traffic light food labelling system had been issued without proper consultation with food authorities. 

Commission launches call to set up a Honey Platform to detect fraud. The EU executive is calling on experts in honey authenticity and traceability to form a team to detect fraudulent practices in the food chain.  

The initiative was published on Thursday, on the same day as the entry into force of the revised EU rules on honey, which will require the countries of origin in honey blends to be indicated on the label with the percentage share of each country’s share as of mid-26. 

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro and  Zoran Radosavljevic]

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