Although it lasts less than two weeks, The Paris Salon de l'Agriculture, is considered to be one of the largest farms in the world with over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 3,500 animals presented, attracting 600,000 to 700,000 visitors each year to the Porte of Versailles. It is often regarded as the must-attend event where the city meets the country, and where the consumer meets the food stream that nourishes him. It is also the place where each year a Concours Général Agricole is organised to award the best traditional French products and the best breeding animals.
This Year's forty-seventh edition closed its doors in an atmosphere that many felt to be rather gloomy, because the agricultural sector in France is going through it's worst crisis in 30 years. Because of the volatility of agricultural price, the average annual incomes of farmers is less than 14,500 euros or nearly half of the record of 28,500 euros recorded in 2007. In 2007 the sector still employed more than 1.4 million people; that is 6,2% of the national total against 12% in 1980. For twenty years, the decline in the agricultural labour force has halved the number of farms (507, 000 in 2007). It is shrinking by about 3% per year. In spite these figures, on the international scene French agriculture in 2009 was still the third largest producer and second largest exporter behind the United States.
Following my previous report on the milk crisis, and for my first visit to the Salon de l’Agriculture, I decided to follow a breeder in my region who was presenting three Blonde d’Aquitaine cows at the Concours Général Agricole. To present your livestock in Paris is a matter of pride, and also an investment because expenses for a cow are typically between 2 and 3,000 euros (transportation, living in Paris, registration, feed, etc…).
More generally, during this week I attempted to document the lives of farmers attending the salon, various aspects of the beef and dairy industries, and to identify some challenges facing French agriculture.
Although it lasts less than two weeks, The Paris Salon de l'Agriculture, is considered to be one of the largest farms in the world with over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 3,500 animals presented, attracting 600,000 to 700,000 visitors each year to the Porte of Versailles. It is often regarded as the must-attend event where the city meets the country, and where the consumer meets the food stream that nourishes him. It is also the place where each year a Concours Général Agricole is organised to award the best traditional French products and the best breeding animals.
This Year's forty-seventh edition closed its doors in an atmosphere that many felt to be rather gloomy, because the agricultural sector in France is going through it's worst crisis in 30 years. Because of the volatility of agricultural price, the average annual incomes of farmers is less than 14,500 euros or nearly half of the record of 28,500 euros recorded in 2007. In 2007 the sector still employed more than 1.4 million people; that is 6,2% of the national total against 12% in 1980. For twenty years, the decline in the agricultural labour force has halved the number of farms (507, 000 in 2007). It is shrinking by about 3% per year. In spite these figures, on the international scene French agriculture in 2009 was still the third largest producer and second largest exporter behind the United States.