Presentation
“The agricultural sector is often addressed from the perspective of crises: the Mercosur agreement, which is said to have sacrificed French agriculture to industry; carcinogenic cadmium in phosphate fertilizers; the risk of epizootic disease from nodular dermatosis; generational renewal; damage caused by flooding and growing uninsured risks; and controversies surrounding the Duplomb Act: do these news stories sum up the French agricultural sector? Ahead of the next multiannual CAP budget [2028–2034], due to come into force in 2028, what are the desirable and feasible directions for agriculture?”
An interview with Aurélie Catallo at the Institut Montaigne, conducted by Hortense Migigniac.
Extract
"Contrary to popular belief, the EU is a net importer of calories, particularly in the form of protein. It would therefore be desirable, both for the EU and for global food security, for the EU to cease relying on the rest of the world to keep its food system functioning. France is fortunate to have a large amount of usable agricultural land (29 million hectares, or 54% of the national territory) and soil and climate conditions [the combination of temperature, humidity and aeration prevailing in the soil layers] varied enough that it is theoretically possible to feed the French population with domestic production. But this would require major changes, both in production and consumption. In any case, improving our food sovereignty depends on diversifying production across different catchment areas, territories and regions.”
Read the interview on the Institut Montaigne's website (in French)
