From this Sunday, French farmers are accelerating the pace of their protests, which will intensify during the week, with particular emphasis on the rejection of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and its “catastrophic” consequences.
The protests, which began sporadically in different parts of the country over the past week, They will regain their strength this afternoonwith several blockages on the roads which provide access to Paris, before gaining momentum tomorrow throughout the territory.
In other regions of France it has been announced the so-called “snail operations”in which tractors force traffic to drive very slowlyor the removal of road signs that inform of entry into municipalities.
On Tuesday, among other actions, there will be new blocking action planned at the Boulou motorway tollvery close to the border post with Spain at Perthus (south-east of France).
Even if French farmers are unhappy with what they consider to be insufficient implementation of the Government’s commitments following its demonstrations at the beginning of the yearopposition to the European Union’s agreement with Mercosur is capitalizing on this new wave.
“We are opposed to the conclusion of unbalanced agreements which could destroy part of French agriculture“, even if for certain sectors they could be an advantage in the short term”, estimates the president of the agricultural union FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, in an interview published today by La Tribune Dimanche.
Although the French government, led by President Emmanuel Macron, has already assured that it will oppose this agreement by all means and will seek other allies within the EU, farmers insist on Let your protest reach those who make decisions in Brussels.
“If we ultimately lose this battle, it would be catastrophic”Rousseau insists.
“We demand a common framework, standards and reciprocal production methodsas well as greater clarity for the consumer. This is a vital fight for us. Brussels must become aware of this,” he underlines.
The free trade agreement with Mercosur was finalized in 2019 after two decades of negotiations but still not signedalthough in recent months there has been a new push to try to revive it.
In France and other EU countries, this agreement is accused of “unfair competition” in the agricultural sector, since it would allow the entry into the EU of products whose phytosanitary conditions are prohibited on European soil, for example the use of hormones in cattle breeding.
The protests are accelerating while Macron is on tour in three South American countries, including two members of Mercosur: Argentina and Brazil, while The third stage will take place in Chile.
At the national level, the FNSEA considers that The Government has only fulfilled 36% of commitments with the sector which helped put an end to the protests at the start of the year.
Instead The Executive ensures that the figure reaches 67% and that the failure to implement the other measures is due to the early elections of June and July, which slowed down legislative work.
“Some of the promises made to us have not yet materialized”Rousseau insisted.
