On Monday, January 29, thousands of farmers in France stepped up their protest, by organizing blockades of various motorways leading to Paris. Farmers agitated by the low income from their farms and the high cost of production made use of hundreds of vehicles to block roads at the periphery of the French capital.
In the protests, organized by the regional federations of the National Federation of Farmers’ Union (FNSEA) and the Young Farmers (JA), the farmers demanded fairer prices for produce, the continuation of subsidies on the agricultural diesel used to run their tractors and other vehicles, easing of complicated environmental regulations stipulated by the EU-directed Common Agricultural Policy and Green Deal, and financial aid for organic farmers.
Unions including the Peasant Confederation, Rural Coordination, and Movement for the Defense of Family Farmers (MODEF), are also organizing protests in different parts of the country calling for guaranteed floor prices on farm produce, market regulation, and cancellation of free trade agreements, among other things.
According to L’Humanite, farmers have set up roadblocks within 30 to 40 kilometers of Paris, on 7 motorways: the A1, A4, A5, A6, A12, A13, and A15. Meanwhile, instead of trying to negotiate with the farmers firsthand, the French government resorted to the massive deployment of security forces to prevent the protesting farmers from entering the city.
The farmers are also in deep distress over the rising cost of production inflicted by high prices of fuel, electricity, and fertilizers and low prices for their products due to excessive competition from imported food products facilitated by the European Union (EU). Distress wrought by the climate crisis including floods, wildfires, and droughts also have had its toll on farmers across Europe.
On top of that, to mend the budgetary holes, several European states including Germany have opted to abolish many subsidies to farmers including tax relief for agricultural diesel, and also to cut exemption from vehicle taxes for farming vehicles, courting major protests from the farmers.
Earlier, farmers in several Eastern European countries have also expressed outrage over the import of tariff-free grains from Ukraine – facilitated by the EU to help the war efforts in Ukraine – which have affected their internal markets. Currently, farmers in Belgium are also organizing protests demanding supportive floor prices and means to support them in developing sustainable and quality agriculture.
In France, farmers have been agitating since October last year, demanding the government remove contradictions in prices and costs and protect them from unfair competition. France is a major agricultural producer in the EU and a leading recipient of the bloc’s Common Agricultural Policy subsidies.
The austerity-driven policies of Emmanuel Macron-led government including the controversial pension reforms and the racist law on immigration have brought much disenchantment and outrage among the people. In response to the widespread discontent and with an eye on upcoming European Parliament elections, Macron appointed a new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to do damage control.
Although Attal announced that the government would shield the farmers from imports, farmers have decided to continue to protest till the government formulates concrete measures to support the farmers. The French government is rooting for the upcoming EU meeting in Brussels, where Macron will participate and likely discuss the farmer’s issues with the EU leadership.
According to reports, Macron has urged the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen to stop negotiating the proposed EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, which is opposed by sections of farmers in Europe including from France. Various farmers’ unions have called for mobilizations in Brussels on February 1 at the EU summit.
Earlier on January 18, while addressing the National Assembly, Yannik Monnet MP from the French Communist Party (PCF) accused that “What strikes in our country’s position on the free trade treaty is double speech. In public speeches, Emmanuel Macron and his ministers stated that ‘our agricultural and food sovereignty must be defended’, ‘agriculture is a key element of sovereignty’, etc. Underhand, however, things are completely different: France has already endowed a series of free-trade agreements with Canada, Japan, or, most recently, New Zealand.”
Manon Aubry, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) told 20minutes.fr that “the central issue of the farmers is the demand for dignity. Farmers want to make a living from their work. The huge problem is that prices for the consumer have risen by 10% while farmers’ remuneration has fallen by 10%. In the middle, some gorge themselves. Peasants can no longer be the cash cows of agribusiness! It is therefore necessary to set floor prices for their production and to block the margins of agro-industries. Gabriel Attal hasn’t said a word about this and continues to leave farmers in the lurch, it’s irresponsible!”
She too called out the hypocrisy of Macronists, who claim to be at the bedside of farmers in France but vote for all free trade agreements in Brussels.
