Frankrijk: samenwerking met Nederland op innovatie wordt aangehaald

In a context where the agricultural and food sectors are impacted by climatic hazards, environmental pressures and international tensions, it is essential to rethink our agricultural production and food consumption to guarantee our sovereignty and reach our climate objectives. The sector must anticipate and rethink its production models by adapting them and by relying on more sustainable approaches, in particular by taking advantage of the agritech and foodtech industries and their innovation systems, which are currently booming in our two countries. There is strong potential for cooperation between the Participants to develop innovative solutions that improve the quality and quantity of agricultural and food production and that create value for producers, while reducing its environmental footprint. Particular support should be given to the development of plant and animal breeding techniques (potentially including new genomic breeding techniques, provided that their purpose is to contribute to resilience and sustainability and that a high level of safety for human health and the environment is guaranteed), agricultural robotics, but also to the use of big data, artificial intelligence and photonics, without forgetting the role and the know-how of farmers in this transition. Proteins constitute key components of our food chain and are essential for human and animal nutrition. The diversification of protein production channels is therefore crucial to reinforce the EU’s food sovereignty and achieve climate neutrality. The Participants confirm their willingness to cooperate in this domain.