Bruno Le Maire and Éric Zemmour in operation seduction at the Agricultural Show

Bruno Le Maire goes to meet farmers. The Minister of the Economy, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Julien Denormandie, was Friday at the Agricultural Show in Paris. A crucial event for the current electoral campaign, to which Emmanuel Macron formalized his candidacy on Thursday evening. For the Minister of the Economy, it was an opportunity to certify that no, there will be no new whatever the cost. However, the executive is working on financial aid for the companies most affected, as he explained to Europe 1.

“We are going to list all the agricultural companies that are very gas or energy consuming. Another series of companies that may need support are all the SMEs that export massively to Russia. How is can we support them? How can we provide them with equity? Will they need state-guaranteed loans for longer? Will they need specific devices? These are all questions the government is trying to answer.

Farmers worried about cost of living

In the aisles of the show, the concern is palpable. Jean-Luc is a sheep breeder in Ain and for him, the boost should primarily concern fuel. “Probably we will need help with fuel because it will become complicated,” he said. “We are going to take the full brunt of a price increase which will inevitably have a negative impact on our margins.” For many farmers present at the show this morning, state aid will not be enough to offset the soaring prices.

This Friday, Éric Zemmour also appeared at the Agricultural Show, also on a mission to seduce farmers.