[3] A combination of foreign competition and bad harvests had caused a growth in grain imports since 1879.
[6] The Société des agriculteurs de France and the Association de l'industrie française combined to pressure the government into increasing tariffs.
[7] The agriculturists held a series of national agricultural conventions to rally farmers to protection, beginning in November 1884.
The Minister of Agriculture, Jules Méline, was supportive but the Chamber of Deputies voted for a duty of 3 francs.
[10] The duties on butter, cheese, eggs and wine remained unchanged from 1881.