The Paris International Agricultural Show will open its doors on February 21. A committed op-ed on livestock farming, living beings and dialogue.

For several weeks now, many things have been said. In the media, in the political sphere, within professional organizations. The context is heavy. The outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease is causing concern and weakening the sector.

The question keeps coming back: will there be cattle at the Paris International Agricultural Show? At this stage, no one can give a definitive answer. Claiming otherwise would be irresponsible.

Putting living beings forward, honoring them, presenting them, is never trivial. They are neither a backdrop nor a symbol. It is a responsibility. And sometimes, it is an entire lifetime.

The Show will open its doors on February 21 and close them on March 1. Whatever happens.

First certainty: whatever the questions raised, strict compliance with sanitary and veterinary regulations will be ensured. Without exception. The risks are too well understood to venture down uncharted paths. One does not gamble with living beings. One does not gamble with the work of livestock farmers. They are at the very heart of the DNA of the Paris International Agricultural Show.

It is in this same spirit that a solidarity initiative is being prepared. Words matter. But they are not always enough.

Agriculture is not doing well. Livestock farming is going through a difficult ordeal with Lumpy Skin Disease. The reality is harsh, but stopping there would be a mistake.

Second certainty: in this context, the Show is necessary. Today more than ever.

For more than sixty years, the Paris International Agricultural Show has existed to explain, to showcase, to bring people together. To create a link between those who work in agriculture and society.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors cross paths there. Children, families, citizens, professionals, elected officials.

At the Show, a market gardener from Nantes talks with an engineer from the Paris suburbs. A winemaker from the Aude exchanges with an architect from Alsace. A grain farmer from the Beauce discusses with a Parisian cashier. A livestock farmer from Savoy is approached by a grandmother from Nice.

This is not anecdotal. It is essential.

But let us not turn the Show into a battleground. Let it remain a space for debate and exchange. The Show is a private and independent event.

Third certainty: the future of agriculture cannot be decreed. It is built. It is passed on. It is no coincidence that the 2026 edition will carry the theme “Generations Solutions.” Without renewal, without transmission, French agriculture will change its face. What is being defended, in the long term, is an agriculture proud of its professions and deeply human.

Protecting agriculture is a necessity. But protecting does not mean closing in. The Show is also a place of openness and dialogue with those who share the same respect for the women and men who feed the country.

In a few weeks’ time, more than 12,000 stakeholders will bring the largest farm in France to life. Visitors will come as they are. They will leave with a little of what defines the sector.

And above all, with this clear realization: without its agriculture, without its farmers, the country would not be fed in the same way.

From the Rungis market to the tables of top chefs. From the supermarket to the family kitchen. From short supply chains to everyday meals. From conventional to organic.

Everyone has a place.

But one thing must remain at the center: farmers.

Jérôme Despey – President of the Paris International Agricultural Show