Paris (AFP) – French farmers launched Monday a new wave of action to protest the adoption of a trade pact between the European Union and four South American countries they fear would threaten their livelihoods. Paris is leading resistance against ratification of the trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay that would create the world’s largest free trade zone.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron defended France’s resistance to the proposed blockbuster deal as he visited Argentina’s Javier Milei, ahead of a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. He said France would “continue to oppose” the trade deal.
On Monday, angry French farmers used tractors to block roads and erected wooden crosses during protests across the country, urging Macron and the government to do more. “Stop the promises, start with actions,” read a sign unfurled along a road in the southeastern town of Le Cannet-des-Maures. “Macron, your agriculture is dying and you are looking elsewhere,” read another banner. Local farmers also placed a cross next to a mock-up gallows with a message reading “France’s agriculture in danger.” In the eastern city of Lyon, farmers tore off municipal signs and deposited them at the stairs of a museum.
Yohann Barbe, spokesman for the FNSEA, France’s top farming union, speaking to broadcaster Europe 1, said that the scale of the protests was going “to be unprecedented.” “Farmers are still just as irritated as ever by a government that is dragging its feet.”
The new wave of rallies came after farmers across Europe, including France, earlier this year mounted rolling protests over a long list of burdens they say are depressing revenue. Life is hard for French farmers, who complain about excessive bureaucracy, low incomes, and poor harvests. The proposed trade pact has provoked fresh anger because farmers fear any agreement would open European markets to cheaper meat and produce that are not forced to adhere to strict rules on pesticides, hormones, land use, and environmental measures.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned farmers there would be “zero tolerance” in the event of “lasting” roadblocks.
© 2024 AFP
