France: Farmers blockade Paris again with tractors in protest against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement
"The farmers' revolt resumes today and we will stay here until we get answers. We ask to be received by the prime minister," said Damien Greffin, vice president of the FNSEA, the main agricultural union.
A banner on a tractor reads "Macron betrayal".
Some 350 tractors entered Paris on Tuesday as part of a new day of mobilization against the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, in addition to demanding "concrete and immediate actions" from the French government.
Since the beginning of November, demonstrations by the agricultural sector have intensified in France, motivated by the imminent signing, scheduled for Saturday, of the trade pact between the E.U. and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, to which France opposes.
"The peasant revolt resumes today and we will stay here until we have answers. We ask to be received by the prime minister," said Damien Greffin, vice president of the FNSEA, the main agricultural union.
The FNSEA took its tractors to the vicinity of the National Assembly on Tuesday, after its competitors from the Coordination Rural, the sector's second-largest union, and the Confédération Paysanne mobilized last week.
The Paris police prefecture, which authorized the demonstration Monday night, confirmed the presence of 350 tractors in the city, although Greffin estimated that the figure could be closer to 500.
"Politicians are incapable of giving us direction"
The measures announced by the French government on Friday failed to appease the unease of farmers and ranchers, who also denounce the deterioration of a profession hit by economic and climatic difficulties.
"We are at the limit. We have been three years without generating income in our farms. Politicians are incapable of giving us a direction," lamented farmer Guillaume Moret, 56, in front of the National Assembly.
The executive on Friday presented a package of 300 million euros (some $350 million) for the sector, an increase in the number of wolves that can be killed and actions to "unblock" crop irrigation projects. However, the FNSEA is demanding "a moratorium on all water issues" and the "suspension of the latest version" of legislation regulating fertilizer spreading plans, among others.
Dialogue continues
Government spokeswoman, Maud Bregeon, assured on TF1 that the "dialogue" with the sector continues, especially around water use and adaptation to climate change.
The possible signing of the EU-Mercosur agreement, whose impact deeply worries French farmers, has increased the pressure on a government that since 2024 has been in a minority and that this week will have to face two motions of censure.
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The tractors flocked to roads in Athlone, in the center of the country, displaying banners with slogans such as "Stop EU-Mercosur" and the European Union flag with the word "sold out."
On Friday there were also demonstrations in Poland and road blockades in France and Belgium as the EU approved the trade deal, which now awaits ratification by the European Parliament.
On Saturday, outrage continued to grow in France, with several actions taken, especially in the port of Le Havre. According to AFP, French police also evicted farmers occupying a fuel depot near Bordeaux.
Farmers fear that the pact will harm them and lead to the entry of cheaper products from South American countries.
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