The 62nd Paris International Agricultural Show opened its doors on February 21st and will run until March 1st at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris. The 2026 edition kicked off in a special context, marked by tensions in the agricultural sector and the conspicuous absence of cattle.
© Salon de l'Agriculture
A rather unusual show
Whether in the fruit and vegetable or livestock sectors, the observation is the same. Attendance is much lower than in previous years. While the atmosphere remains "friendly, with visitors curious to discover new products and willing to listen," the aisles are sparsely populated, with some even reporting a drop in attendance of around 50%. This drop could be explained by the absence of cattle, announced last January. Because of lumpy skin disease (LDS), the cattle breed selection bodies decided not to take part. The Brahman cow from Martinique, Biguine, initially scheduled to be the show's muse, has even been replaced by a hologram. For others, the weather conditions had something to do with it. With the abundant snow this year, some simply preferred to go for winter sports.
Emmanuel Macron faces up to farmers' anger
French President Emmanuel Macron opened the 2026 edition of the Paris International Agricultural Show shortly after 9 am on Saturday, February 21st, announcing his intention to hold talks with each of the farming unions. While Confédération Paysanne chose to boycott all the meetings, saying that "endorsing this circus was out of the question." AFP and Coordination Rurale, which had initially announced a boycott, finally held talks with the president after deciding not to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Emmanuel Macron also promised a major agricultural meeting with Coordination Rurale at the Élysée Palace. "He is going to hold yet another meeting at the Élysée Palace with the unions and the sectors. But in fact, we have been making the same demands for two years. All he has to do is implement them," explains Bertrand Venteau, president of Coordination Rurale, to FranceInfo.
Ivory Coast: country of honor at the 2026 edition
For the second year running, the Paris International Agricultural Show is putting the spotlight on the international stage. After Morocco in 2025, the country in the spotlight this year is the Ivory Coast, with a 445 m² booth in Pavilion 7.1 and a dedicated day on February 26th. The program includes conferences, discussions on the second-generation National Agricultural Investment Program (PNIA 2), promotion of the International Show for Agriculture and Animal Resources (SARA), B-to-B meetings, and a spotlight on emblematic sectors and agricultural innovations in the Ivory Coast.
The international dimension of this 2026 edition also means that 30 countries are represented, including twelve with institutional pavilions: Algeria, Cameroon, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti, Italy, Mongolia, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland, and Tunisia. Producers from all over the world will be showcasing their local gastronomy, including Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, Australia, Austria, Madagascar, Colombia, and Greece.
