As soon as he steps on the red carpet leading to the tri-color ribbon for the inauguration of the 57th edition of the Agricultural Show, Emmanuel Macron is approached by young farmers who have been brought up. "Hear the anger of the agricultural world, otherwise there will be a break between you and us," threatens one of them.
His first dice of Charolais beef and square of Savoy tome are far from being digested that the president is, this time, challenged by a yellow vest warning that "it will end badly". Then it will be, pell-mell, the turn of a gentleman to say all the evil he thinks of the PMA for all, of a student to come back on the planing of 5 euros from the APL (Personalized housing assistance ), a retiree to rail against the reduction in his pension…
President's positive attitude
During his wanderings, this Saturday, in the largest farm in France installed Porte de Versailles in Paris (15th), the tenant of the Elysée was often caught up in social annoyance, wiping, between two rounds of applause and encouragement, some whistles and "Macron resignation". The latter prefers to "relativize". In his eyes, the discontented, "it is not the majority of people".
"There are difficulties everywhere, you have to hear them, but this morning I had a very warm welcome with the French who are proud of their peasants," said the head of state in the late afternoon. "Can't you see what's going on in hospitals?" gets angry, without the usual formulas, a young man. The President refuses to answer, "I speak to polite people."
The sling sticks to the presidential shoes up to the "ass of the cows" as "Chichi" said. As soon as he arrived at 8:17 am, he came across the former political star of the fair, immortalized in a portrait gallery. We see the late Jacques Chirac, all smiles, arms stretched towards the terroirs, in the middle of the horns, food and a shower of tributes praising "the first of the peasants", "warm with animals and with men" .
So Emmanuel Macron tries to play it like the Corrézien de Paris, with a very tactile style. He pats the back of the salon's 2020 muse, called Idéale, a 6-year-old Charolais cow. Then caress in the direction of the hair the farmers "who feed us every day". He uses pressure himself behind the brewers' counter.
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But the challenge always ends up galloping in almost every aisle. Breeders like cereal producers, denouncing “agribashing”, have the impression of being thrown into the pasture. They mention, among other grievances, the ban on glyphosate, a powerful herbicide, by 2021. "Our profession is sold off", indignant Laurence, 46, cereal producer in Seine-et-Marne wearing a T-shirt " Peasants without President ”.
A meeting at the Elysée for yellow vests
The yellow vests regularly take over. Among them, Eric Drouet, emblematic figure of the sling, is expelled manu militari while he tries to approach Emmanuel Macron. A little earlier, the latter had a lively exchange with an ambassador of fluorescent chasubles, presenting himself as management controller. "You don't get the yellow vests," she reproaches him. "You structure a group for me and I receive you without problem. I am for dialogue. We take an hour and we discuss, "commits the president in a proposal that would be a first.
When critics offer him a break, he plays the game with visitors looking for selfies. "You are the best president that the Fifth Republic has known, we love you Mr. Macron", enthuses, at 7 p.m., a fan. "It's nice," says the head of state, who will end his hectic agricultural marathon late in the evening.
VIDEO. Agricultural show: the yellow vest Éric Drouet expelled during Macron's visit