In case you needed proof that Chirac is an idiot

[chickenfeet]

The president [Chirac], chatting to the German and Russian leaders in a Russian cafe, said: "The only thing [the British] have ever given European farming is mad cow."

Umm...

The seed drill
Modern crop rotations
Fodder crops
Over wintering of livestock
Scientific breeding
Reclamation of marshland
Marling
Nitrogen based fertilizers

Most of these while Chirac's ancestors were trying to squeeze the blood out of peasants whose methods hadn't improved much since the days of Charlemagne. Arguably they still haven't.

So what have the French contributed to European agriculture apart from an unprecedented ability to consume subidies?

Comments

[mehdi-caps.livejournal.com]

He's not a complete idiot but he does say stupid things 95% of the time. I guess he tried to be funny. He probably thought that this kind of humour would please his German and Russian counterparts (I guess he sees them as gross drunkards like him).

[rillaith.livejournal.com]

So what have the French contributed to European agriculture

The concept of lorry blockades?

[blonde222.livejournal.com]

the butter mountain, the wine lake, and - the cheese heap?

[jen-c-w.livejournal.com]

they're turning wine into biofuel now. true story.
Because the french wine is being outsold by new worlders, they have to do something with the cap funds, so they produce it but then get them to give it in for fuel.
I really hope chirac gets kicked out soon and loses his prosecution immunity...

[ceruleanblue3.livejournal.com]

Well, okay, if you're going to be picky and expect actual facts :-P

[pigseatingfigs.livejournal.com]

ha ha
but we now (probably) own more land in Aquitaine than the French do - hurrah for invasion by stealth!

[pigsnout000.livejournal.com]

So it was the poms who gave the french terrorists the Nitrogen based fertilizer to run around with.