Images that must have made José Bové’s mustache quiver with pleasure. Wednesday morning, in Agen, angry farmers, but rather laughing on the videos, placed a huge stack of straw in a McDonald’s restaurant then carefully scattered the hay throughout the fast food restaurant, without forgetting the toilets.
It was obviously more of a commercial dispute than an action of political significance as during the dismantling of the McDonald’s in Millau in 1999. A banal story of even free coffees, requested by the demonstrators. “Free coffees, I can’t make that decision,” he told South West Jenifer, the disappointed manager of the restaurant, who therefore paid the price for her refusal with a premature closure due to major cleaning. The employees forced to do the cleaning have attracted the sympathy of Internet users, accompanied by numerous comments on salaries at McDonald’s or on the inflation of sandwich prices.
“Let’s not miss the target”
But beyond the morning cup that they were unable to swallow, the intruders still had a grudge against the sign. “It didn’t happen… It’s the principle. They claim to be supplied with our products, this is false. “, they declared to the regional daily.
And this assertion sparked another debate, more knowledgeable, more agricultural, on the origin of McDonald’s products. “It’s totally stupid, […] let’s not get the wrong target,” said Norman breeder Antoine Thibault, a peasant YouTuber, slayer of preconceived ideas, and who cannot be suspected of not defending the cause.
So, by attacking the American giant, have the Agen farmers taken the risk of offending an important partner? The sign, attached by 20 minutes, indicates that “75% of [ses] agricultural raw materials come from France” and “come from 29,400 French farms and livestock farms”. McDonald’s also claims that its nuggets are “100% French” and have led to the purchase of 18,000 tonnes of chicken in France in 2022. To which are added 21,950 tonnes of beef for the hamburger steaks, 7,141 tonnes of salad and 45,798 tonnes of Label Rouge wheat for the rolls and muffins.
A big client among others
Suffice to say that McDonald’s is a good customer for French agriculture even if it is not one of its pillars either. Its 18,000 tonnes of chicken purchased compare to the large million tonnes produced in 2022, according to figures from the Ministry of Agricultureand only 211,000 tonnes of potatoes out of the 8 million grown, or around 2.65%, were transformed into McDonald’s fries or potatoes.
McDonald’s France also insists on its policy of “contractualization”, also practiced by its suppliers, “which makes it possible to give farmers better visibility on their outlets and their remuneration while protecting all stakeholders from market fluctuations”. Two thousand eight hundred and sixty-five French farmers have signed a contract of this type in 2022.
Finally, since we are talking about Agen, the brand claims to have made 67 million purchases in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in 2022 and to work there with 76 farms. As you can imagine, not those of coffee lovers.