After testing the Charolais beef dice planted on a toothpick well before lunch time, Emmanuel Macron lets himself be magnetized by the gargantuan plateau of Alpine cheeses. First a tome square, and even a second, then a Beaufort rectangle… while an accordionist, red scarf stamped “Savoie Mont-Blanc” accompanies the feast to the rhythm of “Etoile des neiges”.
"Chirac was a very very good eater, but he is not bad either!" Compares Philippe, producer of reblochon who filled the stomachs of the two presidents at the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles, in Paris (15th ).
Walking the red carpet this Saturday morning leading to the inauguration of the 57th edition of the Agricultural Show, the Head of State stumbled upon the former political star of the fair, immortalized at the entrance to hall 1 on a portrait gallery. We see the late Jacques Chirac there, 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".
He puts on the costume of the good living
So during his "stroll", Emmanuel Macron tries to play it like the Corrézien de Paris, with a very tactile style. He pats the back of the 2020 muse called Idéale, a 6-year-old Charolais girl who ruminates peacefully despite the pack of cameras. He caresses the farmers "who feed us every day" down the grain.
Putting on the costume of the good living, he uses himself a pressure behind the counter of the brewers and offers "yours". Rebelote with a glass of red and rosé. As a signature, he incises a wand before it goes into the bakery. "Bread is life," he philosophizes.
He questions Faustine, 5 years old, daughter of the owner of Idéale: "And you, what do you want to do later?" "Like papa!" Retorts the young lady in front of a hilarious president. But times have changed since the Chichi years. Ecological requirements have gained ground. Breeders like cereal producers, pointing to “agribashing”, have the impression of being thrown into the pasture. And to mention, among other things, the ban on glyphosate, a powerful herbicide, by 2021. Or the areas of non-treatment with pesticides near homes established by the government since January 1.
"Hear the wrath of the agricultural world"
"Hear the anger of the agricultural world, otherwise there will be a break between you and us," threatens one of them. "Don't forget that thanks to the cows, we have great landscapes", reminds him of a breeder from Aubrac. "Our profession is sold out," indignant Laurence, 46, grain producer in Seine-et-Marne wearing a T-shirt "Peasants without president".
The target of their wrath dreamed of announcing here even a maintenance of the envelope devoted to the CAP, the common agricultural policy. He militated for in Brussels but the negotiations on the budget between the 27 countries of the European Union ended Friday evening with a failure. "Thank you for not having dropped anything," encourages all the same, between two rounds of concern, a young farmer.
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Tractor owners do not have a monopoly on protest. Yellow vests - new to the macronist era - give voice without their fluorescent chasuble. Among them, Eric Drouet, emblematic figure of the revolt, who tried to approach the president, is expelled manu militari.
VIDEO. Agricultural show: the yellow vest Éric Drouet expelled during Macron's visit
A little earlier, Emmanuel Macron had a lively exchange with an ambassador of the movement, 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, ”agrees his interlocutor in a proposal that would be a first.
Outside, an impressive line-up of gendarmerie and police vans testifies to safety on the teeth more than in the last century. "This is how we see that Macron is there," sighs a visitor.
Presidential aficionados also came
But the host for a whole day also has his aficionados in search of selfies. In the name of his son who broke his piggy bank, a father offers the head of state a jersey from OM, his favorite club. "Mr. President, I like you, I just want to shake your hand, is it possible?" exclaims, for his part, Adrien, 24, who wins his case. "He didn't snub me and he winked at me," savored this crane operator from Annecy (Haute-Savoie). If he does not pat on the back like Jacques Chirac, Emmanuel Macron is unbeatable in complicit movements of the eyelids.