Michel-Édouard Leclerc Considers Himself “An Easy Target” Amid Agricultural Crisis

This isn’t a novel issue. In every agricultural crisis over the years, mass distribution has often been blamed, rightly or wrongly, as a partial root of all problems.

“During the crisis, the names of the distribution brands and Michel-Édouard Leclerc were publicly criticized,” said Michel-Édouard Leclerc on BFMTV/RMC. He added, “We became the target of the FNSEA, Young Farmers, and the government. Evading is a way to reflect the attacks back to your opponents.”

To explain his recent absence from the media, Michel-Édouard Leclerc shifted the blame for the agricultural crisis to the government. He stated that the fury from the agricultural sector, which also carried social undertones, was primarily directed at the government. Essentially, it was a political crisis, marked by political and union flare-ups. “It’s better to stay out of the crossfire,” he added, regretting that he did not receive “a single phone call from a union leader,” or from the Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau. He accused the latter of criticizing him publicly but having nothing to inquire from him, a criticism which the president of the strategic committee of the E.Leclerc centers had already expressed on February 10.

The head of the brand, who claims to “agree with many things” voiced by the infuriated farmers, also severely criticized Emmanuel Macron for his comments made in Brussels in early February, accusing European buying centers of “sidestepping French law. “As a French president, you should study your cases thoroughly. A company (like Eurelec, the Leclerc buying center) being Belgian doesn’t mean it bypasses French law. Just because Leclerc has a buying center in Belgium doesn’t mean it violates the competition code in France. We need to stop this nonsense.” In his defense, especially regarding the 117 million euro fine demanded from Eurelec by Bercy, the head insisted that his brand had “no disagreements with French companies, for a simple reason: we do not negotiate agricultural products at Eurelec”.