Pierre at the heart of Franco-Chinese exchanges

It's a day that Pierre VANDECANDELAERE (Agriculture, 2015, Beauvais), farmer at Ferme de Travaille, won't soon forget. On May 13, his farm in Harquency (27) received a visit as prestigious as it was unexpected: that of He Lifeng, Chinese Vice Premier in charge of the economy.

Accompanied by some forty Chinese and French representatives, he was keen to discover the French model of suckling cattle breeding. The visit was orchestrated by INTERBEV, the French beef trade association, against a backdrop of sensitive discussions concerning the export of French meat to China, which is still subject to embargoes.

Together with his father, Pierre presented the fruit of four generations' work, quality products and the excellence of the French meat industry, with the aim of facilitating the entry of French meat into the Chinese market by lifting import barriers.

While the impact of this visit remains to be confirmed, it demonstrates the role that graduates can play in the economic and agricultural issues of tomorrow.