The Foire de Libramont celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. A symbolic anniversary for an event that accompanies the evolutions of the farming world. This edition, marked by renewal, transmission and the future, was an opportunity to honour those who keep our agriculture and rural world alive every day.
The fair is a privileged meeting place for farmers, livestock breeders, businesses, professional organisations, public authorities and the MR.
This centenary edition was marked by the first visit of Prime Minister Bart De Wever to the Foire de Libramont, at the invitation of the MR group leader in the Chamber, Benoît Piedboeuf. As every year, the latter also organised “Le MR est dans le Pré”, the traditional countryside breakfast that brings together numerous elected representatives, activists and stakeholders from the farming world around local produce.
The Mouvement Réformateur was strongly represented at this anniversary edition, including the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and federal Minister for Agriculture David Clarinval, Walloon Minister for Agriculture Anne-Catherine Dalcq, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez, MEP Benoît Cassart, federal MPs Gilles Foret and Anthony Dufrane, the President of the Walloon Parliament Willy Borsus, and a delegation from the Jeunes MR.
For David Clarinval, agricultural challenges go far beyond the purely economic framework: “In the current international context, marked by geopolitical and economic crises, a strong agriculture is a strategic issue for our food sovereignty and our future.”
The minister points out that the sector faces numerous difficulties: often insufficient incomes, constant pressure on prices, animal diseases weakening livestock farms, uncertainties linked to trade agreements, and an administrative burden that remains too heavy. “Within my own responsibilities, but also within the government, I strive every day to defend a pragmatic approach that takes into account the reality on the ground and the work of farmers.”
The exchanges throughout the fair once again confirmed one of the sector's major concerns: the accumulation of administrative formalities. The Mouvement Réformateur continues its work to simplify procedures and allow farmers to devote more time to their profession rather than to managing bureaucratic constraints.