Last week, several thousand French farmers staged protests in Paris against the agricultural policy of their country. They also demanded the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The government pledged to support the farming industry with a €600 million aid package.
"The crisis is linked with two major problems. First, the European market lacks proper regulatory mechanisms. Second, the policy of cooperatives downed factory prices while they were created for the opposite goal," Venteau said.
The measures proposed by French President Francois Hollande would have minimum effect on the industry, he added.
"The Russian food embargo has resulted in a glut in the farming market, especially in the pork market, as Russia was the main market for Brittany and Germany," the expert explained.
"After Moscow closed its market for European farmers they have to sell their products at loss. Some of them went broke. There is a serious threat for the pork and apple markets in France," he said.
The problem could be solved through maintaining food self-sufficiency on the European market by matching supply and demand. From this point of view, the issue has become part of a broader structural crisis and should be addressed by EU authorities, Venteau concluded.
