PARIS, Dec 31 : French farmers’ trade union Coordination Rurale is calling on farmers to blockade Paris on January 5 and demand a meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, spokesman Patrick Legras said.
“For a year, the agricultural world, which has been in crisis, has been trying to find solutions to a number of problems specific to France. In anticipation of the blockade, there has been an increase in the number of participants [in the action], which will take place next Sunday. Subsequently, some have interpreted this in different ways. The goal is to move to Paris and its suburbs in order to, we hope, very quickly meet with the prime minister and the minister of agriculture,” Legras told the RMC broadcaster on Monday.
He also expressed hope that farmers will not have to take further action if their demands are not met as a result of this action.
Farmers resumed protests across France in October. In November, leading trade unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs called for protests against government inaction and a trade agreement with South American trade bloc Mercosur. They demand that the European Union scrap the proposed trade pact, loosen regulations and repay delayed subsidies.
Farmers staged several nationwide protests in France between late 2023 and early 2024, blocking highways and dumping manure in front of government buildings to protest against agricultural policies, which they said made them noncompetitive. In particular, farmers opposed imports of cheap agricultural products, primarily from Ukraine, restrictions on the use of water for irrigation, rising fuel prices and tight climate protections.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
