The Dealer was surprised to see 21 European agriculture ministers issue similar non-committal statements revealing that they had met in Chambord, France, together with representatives of the European Parliament, to discuss the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from 2020. The meeting was not listed on any official European agenda.

Irish Agriculture Minister Michael Creed was among those highlighting that "today was not a day for making decisions". This was probably wise, after the proceedings started with the visit of a vineyard. There, French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll invited each of his counterparts to adopt a vine plant.

The meeting continued behind closed doors in the magnificent royal palace of Chambord. The ministers broadly agreed that CAP should not be undermined by Brexit, and get better at tackling income volatility while cutting red tape.

Xavier Beulin, chair of the French farmers union FNSEA, was given a chance to lobby the ministers for EU Solidarity Fund money in aid of farmers affected by last June's devastating floods.

European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, who normally attends official meetings of the Council of European agriculture ministers, was visibly absent from the sunny photos tweeted from the gathering. Instead, he shared his own views on the future of CAP in a blog post.

When King Francis I of France enlisted the world's best stonemasons to build Chambord in the 16th century, he had a very clear message to deliver: that he (not that petty German emperor) was calling the shots in Europe.

Just 10 days before the official informal meeting of agriculture ministers in Bratislava, the Dealer was left with the impression that the French palace was somewhat restored to its good old use this week. But with the German minister co-chairing proceedings, Brussels seemed to be on the receiving end of French chateau diplomacy this time.

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