French florists, hit by Covid restrictions, protest 'illicit' May Day street sales
Every year around May 1 French florists call for the government to crack down on illegal street sellers of lily of the valley. This year they were hoping the Covid lockdown would play in their favour. But it hasn’t.
Issued on:
After mother's day, Christmas and Valentine's day, May Day is the fourth biggest date for florists in France, where the tradition is to offer muguet, or lily of the valley, to your friends and family for good luck.
The fragrant white flowers have been associated with 1 May since the 19th century, representing the start of spring.
“It’s really a flower that you buy to offer to others,” says Florent Moreau, a florist in the Vendée, on the Atlantic coast, and the president of the association of independent florists.
May Day with #muguet a French tradition #MayDay pic.twitter.com/IoYomMSu8C
— Eva Cohen Steiner (@eva_ecs019) May 1, 2021
But on May Day, florists have competition, as individuals are allowed to sell lily of the valley without a permit.
"Lily of the valley in France is a working-class tradition,” says Moreau; a tradition he would like to see reigned in.
Under the rules, individuals can only sell small quantities of sprigs they picked wild or from their gardens. But what you see on street corners are often people selling packaged plants or bouquets, clearly bought from producers.
"Each year we ask for the ban of illegal street sellers,” says Moreau. “You see people who are selling flowers they bought, in pots or bouquets, wrapped up. That's not allowed.”
Unfair competition
An estimated 15 to 20 per cent of lily of the valley grown commercially in France, mostly in the region around Nantes, is sold on the street. Florists sell 30 per cent, and the rest is sold in gardening stores or supermarkets.
Florists had hoped the Covid lockdown in place would mean a ban on street sales. In 2020, during the first confinement, florists were closed and street sales were banned, along with most outdoor activities. Lily of the valley growers lost 70 per cent of their harvests.
This year, florists, gardening supply stores and supermarkets are open and the government has allowed them to sell the flowers, as well as individuals and associations who must follow the current confinement rules: the 7pm curfew, picking and selling no more than 10 kilometres from home, and limiting crowds to six people or fewer.
Moreau worries this will again lead to unfair competition, as street sellers - who are not subject to VAT and other taxes - can offer lower prices than florists.
Plus, May Day is Labour Day, so anyone working, including florists, gets paid double.
Businesses are already suffering under Covid restrictions, he says, with “draconian regulations and with security protocols".
"As long as it's traditional sales of wild lily of the valley, we have no objections. It's a beautiful tradition,” says Moreau. “But when it becomes more organised, it's not the same. It's illicit commerce.”
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe