Salon de l’Agriculture Tightens Rules for Political Visits in 2026

The Salon de l'Agriculture, one of France's premier agricultural events, has introduced a new charter to regulate political visits starting with the 2026 edition, held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles until March 1. This move aims to ease the event's management and protect the well-being of breeders and exhibitors amid a significant rise in political attendance.

According to organizers, politicians are now limited to a single official visit day per event, during which they must follow a pre-defined route and strict schedule coordinated with the organizers. The number of accompanying delegation members is capped at 25, a notable reduction from past visits where some candidates arrived with as many as 80 people. Campaigning activities are expressly banned within the exhibition halls to preserve the event’s focus on agriculture.

The new rules respond to increased political interest: official visits have nearly doubled over five years, jumping from 42 to more than 80, according to Arnaud Lemoine, director of the Centre national des expositions et concours agricoles (Ceneca). He stressed that while political engagement with the salon is important, politicians have both rights and responsibilities, including respecting exhibitor privacy and event order.

To facilitate smooth operations, official visits begin at 8 AM, an hour before public opening times, and delegations must depart by 7 PM. Organizers hope to consolidate visits into three or four days but have yet to fully implement this strategy due to conflicting political schedules. These stringent measures follow a chaotic inauguration day in 2025, marking a decisive step to manage the event’s growing political dimension effectively.