The great agricultural distress at the foot of the Elysée Christmas tree

Max Bauer from the Var was present alongside the interbranch organisation VALHOR and the Association Française du Sapin de Noël Naturel (AFSNN). "It was an opportunity to speak at length with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Agriculture. These discussions were nothing new, as the issues raised had already been discussed a year ago in the same circumstances."

"The presidential meeting should have focused on the progress of certain files. Unfortunately, the outcome is quite meager," noted the trade unionist from the Var with some bitterness.

Le grand mal être agricole au pied du sapin de Noël de l'Elysée

PALLIATIVE CARE The former president of the Coordination Rurale added: "Admittedly, the problems have been identified, with the distortion of competition, technical deadlocks, heavy administrative constraints, the denigration of the profession, the complexity of administrative rules, the multiplicity of environmental requirements, the lack of visibility regarding the current economic situation, and the virulence of climatic hazards. Risk factors tend to weigh increasingly heavily on farmers' lives, but the State is not giving us remedies; it is giving us palliative care, or even condemning us to die."

The trade unionist once again alerted Emmanuel Macron: "I drew the President of the Republic's attention to the deep anger in the farming world across all sectors, including the cattle sector with the dramatic management of lumpy skin disease. Generations of livestock farmers are already weakened by falling agricultural incomes and soaring charges."

GROWING ANGER "Today, this catastrophic situation is no longer just a health issue, but a matter of economic and human survival for rural areas, ultimately threatening the entire French beef sector and potentially other productions. The distress is deep and the anger is growing. There is a strong risk of no longer being able to control the situation," warns Max Bauer.

"This observation was made with other agricultural representatives during the Comité Interministériel de Pilotage du plan de prévention du mal être en agriculture at the Ministry. There is an urgent need to support all our female and male farmers for a sustained and recognized agriculture. Watch out for the Salon de l'Agriculture 2026," concludes the determined agricultural unionist.

PLEASE NOTE... A tradition dating back to the 19th century The tradition of the Élysée Christmas Tree has been documented since the presidency of Sadi Carnot at the end of the 19th century. It is linked to a party organized for children invited to the Palace, with gifts and a show around the tree in the festive hall.

This year, a 12-meter tree was installed in early December in the main courtyard of the Élysée.

It is decorated with around 4,000 ornaments in red and white tones as well as long garlands for the night-time illuminations.