promised to
safeguard European farm subsidies, secure compensation for wine
producers hit by U.S. tariffs and defend fishermen in talks with
Britain, as France's farming world faces an uncertain year.
Opening
the annual Paris farm show, Macron said France would continue to oppose
cuts to agricultural subsidies, a day after discussions broke down on a
new European Union budget without Britain.
Like
his predecessors, Macron vowed to maintain a large budget for the
bloc's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), of which France is the main
beneficiary.
"On
the CAP we defend an ambitious budget. CAP cannot be the adjustment
variable of Brexit. We need to support our farmers," Macron told
farmers.
"We did not yield to those who wanted to reduce the [CAP] budget," he added.
Compensation for tariffs
Meeting
wine industry representatives, the president pledged to get
compensation for U.S. tariffs in place by the spring, Jerome Despey,
secretary-general of France's main farmer union, the FNSEA, said
afterward.
Macron has previously backed tariff relief for wine producers and said he has raised the issue with the European Commission.
The sector fears it could lose 300 million to 400 million euros in annual sales in its main export market if the 25% tariff imposed by Washington in October remains in place, Despey said.
French
wine is among EU products subject to the U.S. tariffs as part of an
aircraft subsidy dispute. French wine exporters estimate the duties led
to a 40 million-euro drop in sales to the United States in the last
quarter.
Fishing tensions
Macron
also voiced support for the fishing sector, which risks losing current
access to British waters as the EU negotiates a new relationship with
Britain.
"Boris
Johnson has a card in his hand, and it is fishing," he told
representatives of the French fishing industry, warning it was unclear
if the EU and Britain could reach an overall trade agreement before a
transition period expires at the end of the year.
He reiterated that he would seek compensation for French fishermen for any losses they suffered.
Macron spent over 12 hours at the Paris farm show, a major event for politicians in the EU's biggest agricultural economy.
During
the customary presidential visit to the weeklong event, which attracts
600,000 visitors, he tasted French specialities like Charolais beef and
Cotes de Provence rose wine, and he served draft beer at the French
brewers' stand.
Pesticides
He also faced stern questioning from farmers, with whom he has had an uneasy relationship, particularly over pesticide policy.
Macron
told farmers that the common weedkiller glyphosate would not be
scrapped where there were no alternatives, while safety rules on
pesticide spraying would be adopted progressively.
There
were glimpses of wider tensions in France, with a heated exchange with a
woman about pension reform and police violence in street protests.
Eric
Drouet, a leading figure in the "yellow vest” protest movement that
rocked Macron's government a year ago, was expelled from the show when
he tried to approach the president.
VOA