Europe’s agriculture sector is in crisis. In response, we are seeing repeated, large-scale protests by farmers; in France, these often involve roadblocks and dramatic actions. Half-hearted political measures do not make fundamental changes.
Winter 2023/24 saw large demonstrations in the Netherlands against new regulations and falling wages spread across Europe. Since summer 2025, bird flu has been causing turmoil in France, leading to the systematic culling of millions of chickens and ducks over the past two years. The media blamed wild birds, although evidence indicates the infection originated from intensive animal husbandry in Asia. At the same time, new outbreaks of bluetongue disease and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) hit cattle and sheep farmers. This summer, lumpy skin disease—endemic in Africa but new to France—was added to the list. These more frequent epidemics show how sick the animal husbandry system is and how deeply it affects farmers.1
Instead of questioning intensive livestock [factory] farming and the globalization of animal transport—the real sources of the epidemic2—the French government took radical measures in collaboration with the farmers’ association FNSEA [Fédération nationale des syndicats d’exploitants agricoles, National Federation of Farmers’ Unions]. The goal was not to care for sick animals but to facilitate cattle exports. The method: slaughter entire herds as soon as one animal falls ill. These measures, often monitored by the police, triggered the first demonstrations. For a farmer, the complete destruction of their herd means much more than normal slaughter. It means losing the fruits of many years of breeding work and a deep inner bond with the heart of their work. The relationship with their animals touches farmers deeply.
Unfair Trade
Adding to these epidemics is the controversial EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which was signed recently and is now awaiting ratification by the European Parliament and the parliaments of South American countries. On January 21, 2026, the European Parliament decided to have the free trade agreement reviewed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)—a decision that could delay its implementation. Opinions on this agreement vary from country to country and from one group of farmers to another.
What does this all mean? Agriculturalists have become accustomed to thinking purely in corporate terms rather than in terms of society as a whole. Agriculture—which feeds the population and transforms our landscapes—plays a very different role than mere industry. From a corporatist perspective, certain producers and countries benefit from export opportunities, such as winegrowers. Others, however, especially livestock farmers, rightly fear massive imports of inferior and, above all, much cheaper animal products into Europe.
Lack of Recognition
But these are just excuses. The real issue is a lack of recognition and even humiliation of many farmers. Their essential role in society is not being acknowledged. Even organic and biodynamic farmers suffer from a lack of recognition by an increasingly urban society. They also suffer from a lack of understanding on the part of politicians, who believe that all problems can be solved through bureaucracy. It’s important to distinguish between the goal of organic farming and its implementation. Regulations were too often pushed through “from above,” which denigrated the farmers who were directly affected. It would have been better to anchor this development in agricultural schools and introduce it by supporting the farms directly.
In France, the farmers’ union (FNSEA) exploited the discontent and secured advantages that mainly benefit large agricultural corporations. Small and medium-sized farms hardly benefit at all. The goal is larger factory farms and huge fields, accompanied by a reduction in environmental protection measures. This means that farmers are once again allowed to use more pesticides and artificial fertilizers—even though they are often the ones who suffer as a result. Another contradiction: because of bird flu, all poultry in France must be kept indoors—even on organic farms! At the same time, ever larger industrial farms with factory farming are permitted to develop. These are, in fact, causing the animal diseases and environmental problems, but they demand stricter controls for everyone else.
Rising energy costs are increasing the dependency of agricultural businesses. At the same time, there are fewer and fewer farms with farmers engaged in the actual practice of farming—instead, large companies with managers and workers are taking over. How can we break this vicious circle and restore dignity and a future to the profession?
Collaborative Rethinking
It’s all about enabling farmers themselves to confidently practice sensible agriculture. How can society make this possible? Roundtable discussions (citizens’ conferences) need to be convened, where all citizens affected by the future of agriculture are invited. These discussions must have the courage to address the fundamental question: What is agriculture?
In France, there has long been talk of a “cultural exception.”3 Isn’t there an urgent need to also talk about an “agricultural exception”? As Steiner said in 1924 in the first lecture of his Agricultural Course,4 standards must come from the real world of agriculture—not from abstract economic theories.
Translation Joshua Kelberman
Photo Aravind Balabhaskar/Unsplash
Footnotes
- Ulysse Thevenon, Le sens du bétail. Vous ne mangerez plus jamais de la même façon [The meaning of livestock. You will never eat the same again] (Paris: Flammarion, 2025).
- Marie-Monique Robin, La fabrique des pandémies : Préserver la biodiversité, un impératif pour la santé planétaire [The pandemic factory: Preserving biodiversity, an imperative for planetary health] (Paris: Éditions La Découverte, 2021).
- “Cultural exception” is a policy framework that exempts cultural goods and services from standard rules of trade agreements—Trans. note.
- Rudolf Steiner, Agriculture: Spiritual-Scientific Foundations for Agricultural Renewal (Great Barrington, MA: SteinerBooks, 2025).
