"I say thank you. Thank you for feeding the country. The food industry has held up. From fork to fork, everyone has mobilized." With those words President Emmanuel Macron of France thanked the food industry yesterday. He called the food industry 'la ferme France', symbol of the 'second line' in the war against the coronavirus. Macron did so while visiting the greenhouse of French tomato growers Thierry and Jean-Marc Roué.
Fifth generation
The greenhouse is located in what is called the 'vegetable heart' region Léon, Finistere, in the northwestern part of France. The region is known for its artichokes, shallots and onions - and also for its tomatoes. One of the greenhouse companies in the area is the company of brothers Thierry and Jean-Marc Roué, in Cléder. The brothers are fifth-generation growers and operate a typical French business. "We grow twelve varieties of tomatoes on 4.5 hectares. We produce between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes a year, under the Prince de Bretagne brand," Jean-Marc told the French press.
The company is a member of Sica producers' association, known for the Prince de Bretagne brand. The farm employs up to 35 people, ten of whom are permanent staff. "Here, the health crisis hasn't changed much. We know the rules of hygiene. And we haven't had too much trouble recruiting. But it's good that the President comes to see us. It's a form of recognition. It's good that in Paris, we realize that there are people working now."
Macron also spoke with the greenhouse workers: one permanent and one that is normally a major in English, but came to work when the college closed. Macron complimented them on their work and said they were brave people.Then he visited a French supermarket.
French production
French growers have pleaded for French production to be promoted, and criticized distributors who don't play this game. "When buying produce also consumers must not forget to be a citizen of their own country. We have to ask ourselves the question, where does what we have on our plates come from?" said the president, for whom the crisis will raise awareness. "I'm neither a nationalist nor a protectionist, but if we want to regain control of our lives, we have to give meaning to what we do collectively. This does not mean closing borders, but we have sometimes accepted incoherent things in the name of accelerated globalization," he added. Since the beginning of the crisis, Macron has been stressing the need to regain a more sovereign France and Europe.
Merci à toutes celles et tous ceux qui nous nourrissent. Cultiver la terre, organiser l'approvisionnement et la distribution au plus près des besoins, c'est cette chaîne de responsabilités et de solidarités qui nous permet de tenir. #FranceUnie pic.twitter.com/worIpDCC1w
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 22, 2020
Concerns for the French horticulture and floriculture
Marc Keranguéven, President of producer association SICA, was honored but also shared his concerns with the president. "By coming to visit one of our farms, the President of the Republic saluted the daily work of our producers and employees. Everybody is in full confinement to feed France at a time when we are facing a structural problem of labour to harvest daily and manually the fresh fruit and vegetables."
Photo of SICA
"We discussed how growers and the industry responded to this situation and quickly reorganised to ensure continuity in the production, packaging and dispatch of our fresh produce. We also shared some of our messages on themes that have an impact on the sustainability of our business. The worrying situation of our members in floriculture who are suffering the full impact of the COVID-19 crisis at the height of the season was obviously discussed, as Kerisnel, the horticultural brand of our cooperative, makes more than half of its turnover in spring. Or our concerns about the prolonged closure of the commercial catering trade, which will in fact penalize several of our ranges that are sold in particular on this distribution channel."
According to Marc, the discussions made it possible to agree on the excellence of the French system in terms of safety and traceability, which has reassured the consumer since the beginning of the crisis. "And this visit enabled us to remind the President of the Republic of our commitment to sustainable agriculture that respects the environment".