Paris Agriculture Show Closes With 28% Attendance Drop as Cattle Stay Away, Mercosur Dispute Intensifies

Overview

• Organizers reported 437,402 visitors for the 62nd edition, a 27.9% decline that they linked to the unprecedented absence of cattle and to factors such as overlapping school holidays and severe weather.
• Cattle were kept out because of lumpy skin disease, adding to the ongoing poultry exclusion since 2019 due to avian flu and contributing to a subdued atmosphere for exhibitors and attendees.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the provisional application of the EU‑Mercosur agreement during the show, drawing immediate condemnation from FNSEA, Jeunes Agriculteurs, Coordination rurale and Confédération paysanne.
• The move proceeds even as the European Parliament has referred legal questions to the Court of Justice of the EU, leaving the deal’s path subject to judicial clarification.
• France’s government promised an emergency agricultural law focused on production means, while the event also saw heavy political turnout, including Emmanuel Macron’s 12‑hour visit, and a separate brawl that led to arrests.