The Third Way Collective of the Responsible Agriculture Sector was received on Tuesday, December 18th, by Mrs Audrey Bourolleau, the French president’s advisor on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development. The presidents and directors of the four founding organizations of the Collective formulated their proposals in favor of healthy, safe, durable and accessible food to all.
As the laws “for a balance between the commercial relations in the agricultural sector and a healthy and durable food industry” according to the National Food Conference (Etats Généraux de l’Alimentation) are being formulated, the Third Way Collective offers to bring its experience and expertise in order to work on the definition of a “healthy, safe and durable agricultural production” and on the meaning of “products with positive environmental externality”.
The Collective also expressed his wish to set up a framework of definitions and references allowing for experimentation, development and the promotion of new forms of responsible agriculture, as it exists for organic farming. The Collective offers to contribute to the definition and emergence of the Third Way, based not only on the environmental but also economic and social impacts of agriculture. It wishes for a better evaluation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies in the management of agricultural farms. The Collective encourages research and experimentation on the relations between methods of production, the nutritional quality of food and its impact on our health.
The law sets a goal for 50% of the food supply in the public catering sector to “be organic, local or to meet quality standards”, as of January 1st, 2022. What the Third Way Collective suggests to include in this definition of “alternative responsible products” from the Third Way agriculture and consistent with the political aspirations are: quality, traceability, sustainability, circular economy and preservation of the national agricultural interests.
The responsible agricultural sector is now a reference for the National Food Conference. It answers to societal expectations with a sector-oriented logic, performance requirements and CSR commitments.
The Third Way Collective of the Responsible Agriculture Sector brings together four major actors of the French agriculture committed to environmental responsibility, economic responsibility and social and societal responsibility : Bleu-Blanc-Cœur (breeding sector), Demain la Terre (fruit and vegetable sector), Filière CRC® (cereal sector) et Vignerons en Développement Durable (wine sector).
This Third Way gathers the French agricultural initiatives that develop and exist alongside the conventional and organic agriculture, and are compatible with official quality standards, according to a double approach: means and results obligations for good products (health, environment and quality). The Collective gathers and promotes responsible agriculture initiatives based on the triad: specific method of production, measurable quality and performance requirements. The Collective accounts for nearly 8% of the agricultural production in France.
The Third Way Collective delegation in front of the Elysée Palace. From left to right: Iris Borrut (Director of Operations for the Sustainable Winegrowing Association), Bernard Schmidt (Co-President of Bleu-Blanc-Cœur), Pascal Duconget (President of the Sustainable Winegrowing Association), Étienne Henriot (President of GIE CRC), Geoffroy Cormoreche (President of Demain la Terre), Marc Bonnet (Director of GIE CRC), Marc De Nale (Director of Demain la Terre), Nathalie Kerhoas (Director of Bleu-Blanc-Cœur)
For more information :
Demain la Terre
Karine Affaton
Phone : +33 (0)5 62 60 19 03
karine.affaton@demainlaterre.org
www.demainlaterre.org