Macron tells French farmers: Ukraine war will weigh on you, and it will last – The Peninsula Qatar

Macron tells French farmers: Ukraine war will weigh on you, and it will last – The Peninsula Qatar

Paris: The war in Ukraine, and heavy sanctions Western powers have taken against Russia, will have long-lasting and serious consequences for the French farming sector, the European Union's biggest, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

"If you ask me to share one conviction with you this morning, it is that this crisis is here to stay, this war is here to stay," Macron told the Paris farm show on Saturday.

Trade restrictions resulting from EU sanctions on Russia will weigh on French exports such as wine and grains, Macron said, while a further rise in energy prices will hit livestock farming.

"We are building a resilience plan," Macron said, adding measures would be taken to protect farmers from cost pressures and compensate lost revenues.

A surge in commodity prices in the past year has benefited grain producers but squeezed livestock farmers for whom grain feed is a major cost. The government announced at the end of January a 270 million euro ($304 million) relief package for the pork sector.

The crisis in Ukraine is increasing volatility in agricultural markets, with Paris wheat futures hitting a record high on Thursday. Farmers are also worried the crisis could exacerbate supply tensions in fertilisers and disrupt the