The change of name of the association representing the voice of 3,000 SMEs and ETIs in the food sector in France has been effective since April 3. However, the association reaffirms its ambition to meet the challenges of the agricultural sectors, fishing and aquaculture and the agri-food sector. Pact’Alim wishes to play a central role in the agricultural and industrial renewal of the country and in the various transitions, serving current and future generations.
Pact’Alim was born from the desire to engage in strong collective mobilization in the face of multiple crises – environmental, economic, health and energy – what the French agri-food sectors are going through. SMEs and ETIs must indeed overcome many difficulties : increase in production costs, climate and food changes, Exacerbated international competitiveness and strained relations with large retailers. These constraints weaken the ability of companies to invest in their modernization as well as in decarbonization, necessary for their sustainability. To respond to these challenges, Pact’Alim calls for a rearmament of ETIs and SMEs in the transformation sector by implementing a set of measures to support their investment and innovation needs. The association calls for a global policy, involving all facets of the sector, from upstream to downstream. She calls in particular for the effective establishment of the support fund for the agri-food industries announced in March 2023, “essential to enable businesses to modernize”.
A new dynamic
The association wishes to initiate a new unifying dynamic at the service of these ETIs and SMEs “which are the primary outlet for agricultural and fishing production”. They supply mass distribution with iconic brands and private labels., as well as collective and commercial catering. They also participate, with their exports, promoting French know-how and production internationally. “These companies constitute key elements of the economic vitality of the country, underlines Pact’Alim in a press release : they represent 64% of jobs and 57% of turnover in the agri-food sector, transforming half of national agricultural and aquaculture production, contributing in an essential way to the country's food sovereignty. » “Pact’Alim will play its full part in the immense project that awaits us collectively, that of an agricultural and agri-food sector that meets the challenges of our century : sovereign, healthy and sustainable”, summarizes Jérôme Foucault, president of the association.
