Macron to farmers: Keep calm and talk to me

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on farmers to “keep calm” after a small group raided France’s annual agricultural fair.

On Saturday morning, tractors entered the French capital and a group of a dozen farmers clashed with police at the fair.

“I call on everyone here to calm down,” Macron said after a meeting with farmers’ unions at the fair, adding: “You’re not helping any of your colleagues by smashing up exhibition booths.”

But, he acknowledged that “the nature of the tension in the agricultural world” means it will take time to resolve.

“The agricultural crisis cannot be solved in a few hours. It won’t be resolved during this fair,” the French president said.

This comes after Macron on Friday evening canceled a debate scheduled to take place with farmers’ unions and environmental groups at the fair. There was a spat with farmers’ organizations after media reported a controversial movement of climate activists, Les Soulèvements de la Terre, known for repeatedly clashing with the police and farmers, had been invited to Saturday’s event.

“I deny it in the strongest terms” that this green group was ever invited, Macron angrily said Saturday, recalling that he pushed for the climate group to be disbanded — a decision that was later canceled by the courts.

Macron nonetheless organized an impromptu discussion with farmers present at the fair.

The French president also announced that the national authorities will reinforce controls and transparency on fair bargaining on food prices between farmers and retailers. He added that he will push for similar measures to be adopted at the European level, as well as for further simplification of EU rules.

“We can’t have a Europe that’s moving in the direction of degrowth and a reduction in production, because we want to remain sovereign and we’re on a planet that’s going to face more and more food challenges,” Macron said. “Europe must continue to be a food and agricultural power, both for itself and for export” but also “must invest more in the transition of agricultural models.”

The French leader also said that “an emergency cash-flow plan” will be put in place to help farms that are struggling to make ends meet.

Finally, Macron said that he’ll convey a meeting at the Elysée Palace with representatives of the agricultural sector “in three weeks” to “consolidate emergency measures, … formalize national and European commitments, and build a genuine French and European agricultural progress plan for 2040.”