French goat farmer urges consumers to buy local to support sector

TANCROU, France (Reuters) - Bertin Moret, who makes goats' cheese an hour from Paris, has little faith in politicians being able to cut red tape and deter cheap imports as he and other farmers are demanding. For him, salvation must also come from consumers buying French produce.

In Tancrou, east of the capital, Moret, 39 is the fifth generation of his family to work the same farm. He took over with his cousins in 2016, and now their 200 goats produce some 200,000 litres of milk per year to make the cheese.

He has been joining his fellow farmers at a tractor roadblock on the A4 motorway at nearby Jossigny each morning, before returning to tend to his animals on the farm.

Their protests, part of a growing European movement, have already drawn concessions from the government, including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal saying France will block cheap imports of products that use a pesticide banned in Europe.

"The root of the issue is to be able to make a decent living from your profession and therefore being able to sell your products at the right price which pays the producers and which allows them to live," Moret said.

He said his costs had soared more than 20% in 2022-2023. As he sells cheese, some hand stamped with the farm's name, directly to consumers, he says it is hard to pass on those increases to households still enduring rising prices even as the rate of inflation slows.

He acknowledges his cheese are a luxury, not a necessity, but still believes households can play a vital part in supporting the farmers.

"So what I expect from this movement is, and I might surprise you, but it's not necessarily a reaction from politicians, from whom I think I'm not expecting much - rather it's a reaction from consumers," he said.

"And I hope that this movement will make consumers aware that what is important is to promote French agriculture by purchasing products in France."

He does have a message though for Europe's politicians though as the sector faces environmental regulations and imports of low-cost produce from countries with more lax legislation.

"I don't like that word protectionism, but we should impose on imported products the same rules we have on ours, so that we are all playing by the same rules, that would be fair," he said.

(Reporting by Noemie Olive; Writing by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Alison Williams)

By Noemie Olive