Thousands of farmers and their tractors have brought Paris to a standstill this morning, as they descended on the streets of the French capital to protest against new EU targets and regulations.
Today’s protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations held by farmers across Europe, including in Germany and Poland, over the last few weeks.
The recent surge in protests against the EU’s anti-farmer stance reached a crescendo as French farmers also took centre stage in front of the European Parliament on January 24.
Their grievances include tax hikes, escalating costs for fuel and animal feed, and what they describe as the unwarranted imposition of stringent EU directives that are suffocating farmers continent-wide.
In a note sent to Express.co.uk, Véronique Le Floc’h, President of Coordination Rurale, a French farming group, expressed the frustrations of French farmers.
She said: “French farmers are united in their opposition to absurd, extreme, and unworkable environmental policies dreamt up by the EU and zealously implemented by the Macron government.” Le Floc’h accused European elites of burdening farmers with increasingly demanding environmental regulations while seeking cheap imports from foreign producers who are not held to the same standards.
She further stressed the need for fair competition and called for an immediate halt to the signing of free trade agreements until a new approach to EU regulation is agreed upon.
She added: “French farmers are determined to protect Europe against unfair competition and ensure food security for France and Europe, but the ideologically driven measures imposed by EU and French elites are making this impossible.”
Emmanuel Macron’s opponents are seizing on the farmers’ demonstrations to bash his government’s record ahead of European elections in June. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party is polling strongly, blamed free-trade agreements, imports and bureaucracy for farmers’ economic woes.
“The worst enemies of farmers are to be found in this government,” she said Thursday.
Roads hit Thursday morning by drive-slows included a highway west of the French capital and seat of power.
“We are getting progressively closer to Paris,” farmer David Lavenant said to broadcaster BFM-TV.
Two agricultural unions called for farmers to converge on highways into the city on Friday to blockade it.
Highway operator Vinci reported blockages on 14 of the motorways that it operates, on Thursday, as well as disruptions on others. Attention-grabbing protests elsewhere included a supermarket being showered with a thick jet of pig slurry.
Protest leaders said farmers would closely scrutinise measures expected Friday from the government in response to their demands before deciding on next steps.
“The determination is total,” said Arnaud Rousseau, the FNSEA president. “We expect urgent measures.”
In Brussels, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opened a discussion panel to try to put farming on a new footing, hoping to take into account some of the complaints raised by protesters around the 27-nation bloc.
The so-called strategic dialogue comes as campaigning for the June 6-9 EU parliamentary elections is picking up steam and the fate of the farm sector is expected to be a hot-button issue.
“We all agree that the challenges are, without any question, mounting,” said von der Leyen, be it “competition from abroad, be it overregulation at home, be it climate change, or the loss of biodiversity, or be a demographic decline, just to name a few of the challenges”.
