At its annual congress, Culture Viande, the trade union representing slaughterhouses and butchery companies in France, raised concerns about the declining number of cattle in the country. The issue was also highlighted by Annie Genevard, the minister of agriculture, who attended the event to open it. Genevard emphasized her support for meat companies, stating that their concerns are being taken seriously. Yves Fantou, president of Culture Viande, said the key question is not whether there will be a demand for meat in the future, but who will meet that demand. He noted that either France produces its own meat or imports it from abroad. According to a press release from Culture Viande, foreign meat now accounts for 26% of national beef consumption. Genevard echoed Fantou's concerns, saying that while there will always be meat on French plates, the question is who will produce it. She stressed the importance of maintaining the cattle herd, which is vital for slaughterhouses and butchery companies. Fantou explained that the industry is not asking for subsidies, but for simpler regulations, greater visibility, and fewer bureaucratic hurdles. He emphasized that the most pressing need is for animals, as the cattle population has decreased by one million over the last decade. Genevard reiterated her goal of preserving France's production capacity, highlighting the "interdependence" between different parts of the industry. Her aim is to maintain a self-sufficiency rate of 90% for the beef industry, which requires stabilizing the number of dairy cows around 3.4 million by 2030. However, the extreme summer heat and ongoing drought have raised fears of continued depopulation. Fantou warned that the decline could worsen in the coming months, which would be disastrous for the entire industry. In August, the slaughter of large cattle increased by 3.3%, driven by an uptick in reforms at dairy farms. Since the spring of 2026, Genevard has supported the idea of a "price corridor," a regulatory tool discussed in the context of the agricultural emergency law. The mechanism aims to control price fluctuations between sellers and buyers, preventing prices from dropping significantly below production costs. However, industry players are skeptical. Fantou argues that setting a lower price limit based on production costs is unrealistic, as it could raise the cost of raw materials for the industry while competitors are not subject to the same constraints. He warns that if the mechanism does not align with market principles, companies will lose their competitiveness. Genevard acknowledges this concern, noting that if prices are not tied to the market, the entire supply chain becomes unstable. However, she says the price corridor should be part of a broader strategy involving contracts. She argues that farmers must be able to earn a living from their work and that production costs cannot be ignored. She adds that the price corridor is a possibility only if all parties agree. Genevard has reaffirmed her support for "contractualization," a requirement under the Égalim 2 law, which aims to ensure fair pricing and transparency in the agricultural sector. While the approach is difficult to enforce, she believes it provides visibility for businesses and allows for sustainable pricing. She emphasizes that business leaders take risks, but doing so requires visibility. Genevard suggests that interprofessional organizations should take the lead in addressing the price corridor, creating a safeguard for production costs. However, by requiring consensus among different groups, the government has made the mechanism fragile. If even one group opposes the plan, its implementation could become complicated, and debates over how value is shared within the industry remain sensitive. Meat companies are also dealing with what is known as a "scissors effect," where the price of large cattle in slaughterhouses increased by 22% in 2025, but the increase has not been fully passed on to consumers, with meat prices rising by only about 14%. The union reports that profit margins are at their lowest since 2017, while rising costs for energy and packaging mainly affect slaughterhouses and processing plants. Between the need to fairly compensate producers and the need to keep consumer prices competitive, the question of who will bear the cost of ensuring French food sovereignty remains unresolved.