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Macron Vows to Defend French Farmers, Fishermen in Uncertain Year

Reuters

   PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday promised to
   safeguard European farm subsidies, secure compensation for wine
   producers hit by U.S. tariffs and defend fishermen in talks with
   Britain, as France's farming world faces an uncertain year.

   Opening the annual Paris farm show, Macron said France would continue
   to oppose cuts to agricultural subsidies, a day after discussions broke
   down on a new European Union budget without Britain.

   Like his predecessors, Macron vowed to maintain a large budget for the
   bloc's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), of which France is the main
   beneficiary.

   "On the CAP we defend an ambitious budget. CAP cannot be the adjustment
   variable of Brexit. We need to support our farmers," Macron told
   farmers.

   "We did not yield to those who wanted to reduce the[CAP]budget," he
   added.

   Compensation for tariffs

   Meeting wine industry representatives, the president pledged to get
   compensation for U.S. tariffs in place by the spring, Jerome Despey,
   secretary-general of France's main farmer union, the FNSEA, said
   afterward.

   Macron has previously backed tariff relief for wine producers and said
   he has raised the issue with the European Commission.

   The sector fears it could lose 300million to400 million euros in annual
   sales in its main export market if the 25% tariff imposed by Washington
   in October remains in place, Despey said.

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