France Launches 'Food Sovereignty Conferences' to Address Agricultural Crisis and Policy Failures

On December 8, 2025, French Minister Annie Genevard inaugurated the "food sovereignty conferences," a series of meetings mandated by the agricultural orientation law passed in March 2025. Scheduled for the first half of 2026, these conferences aim to develop a comprehensive national production and transformation plan for French agriculture over the next decade.

Genevard underscored the gravity of France's agricultural crisis during a December 22 speech in Rungis, highlighting a looming negative agro-food trade balance projected for 2026—the first since 1978. This downturn is a stark reversal from 2017 when the agro-food sector enjoyed a 7.6 billion euro trade surplus under President Emmanuel Macron's optimistic vision.

The minister and representatives across the agricultural sector now widely acknowledge the failure of Macron's agricultural policies. Genevard lamented the erosion of France's production factors and pointed out a troubling shift: France increasingly exports raw agricultural products while importing processed foods, a pattern typical of developing nations. Despite this, she emphasized consumer choices as a fundamental root of the crisis, calling for greater consumer awareness.

However, critics highlight the government's hesitancy and reluctance to revise key environmental regulations as major obstacles to restoring competitiveness and sustainability in agriculture. Daniel Sauvaitre, president of Interfel, argued that the conferences need to identify and dismantle political, administrative, and regulatory barriers that currently block agricultural progress.

As the conferences progress, their success is seen as crucial to redefining France's agricultural strategy amid a crisis that threatens national food sovereignty and economic stability. The meetings represent an important opportunity for policymakers, producers, and stakeholders to realign on goals and necessary reforms for the future of French agriculture.