Anger of farmers: tension rises around Paris before the government's new announcements

New day of blockages on Monday, on the highways leading to Paris. ANIFESTATION OF FARMERS MAXPPP – ARNAUD DUMONTIER

The farming world is increasing the pressure before the new measures expected this Tuesday.

French farmers carried out their threat on Monday by engaging "the headquarters of Paris", under the terms of the FNSEA, the first agricultural union, and the Young Farmers union (JA).

This coordinated operation to block several highways around the capital began at 2 p.m. "for an indefinite period", they specified.

In Île-de-France, the Sytadin network identified no less than eight blocked motorways (A1, A4, A5a, A6, A10, A13, A15, A16).

Rungis placed under high protection

The Rungis international market (Val-de-Marne), the leading wholesale market for fresh produce in Europe and essential for supplying the capital with agricultural products, was protected in at the same time by a large force of law enforcement fearing a coup by the peasants.

The government has announced the deployment of a total of 15,000 police officers and gendarmes, in order to prevent the entry of tractors into Paris and large provincial towns.

While from the north to the south of France, vehicle blockades and bales of hay still disrupted road traffic in places, manned by nearly 10,000 farmers, often on edge.

"The pressure cooker" 

"There is an accumulation of things that have caused the agricultural pressure cooker to build up pressure in recent months, even in recent years: laws, rules, constraints, international and European policies…", explained, in Le Monde, Adrien Dupuy, 46-year-old mixed crop farmer in Oise.

"If things don't work out, some farmers will close shop, or even commit suicide", worried, he, Maxence, 22 years old, employee agricultural, left Beauvais.

Blocks and demonstrations

In the Lyon region, the demonstrators began a snail operation at the same time. Demonstrations were also reported in the Marseille sector and in Occitanie.

Despite the government's first gestures, farmers in distress are not giving up. Friday, the president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, called, in our columns, Gabriel Attal, to "return to the negotiating table".

The boss of the first French agricultural union has since been received in Matignon on Monday evening, with Arnaud Gaillot, representative of Young Farmers. And the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, promised "new measures" from this Tuesday.

Meeting at the Elysée

"We will have a certain number of things that we can put on the table and which will, I believe, allow us to complete and show the whole measures that we are currently proposing to the agricultural world, he said on France 2.

Between two trips abroad – India at the end of last week, Sweden this Tuesday and Wednesday –, Emmanuel Macron convened an interministerial meeting on this burning subject, Monday afternoon at the Élysée.

For what result ? "As long as there are no concrete decisions and as long as the reception by farmers of the Prime Minister's messages is not optimal and accepted, there will be no no lifting of actions carried out on the ground", warned Arnaud Rousseau.

Farmers also intend to strategically maintain pressure in the run-up to the European Council which opens this Thursday in Brussels.

A European response ?

The Head of State will have an on-site meeting with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the agricultural issue, the Élysée announced on Monday. Mercosur, fallow land and trade measures will, in particular, be on the agenda of the discussions.

In addition to the precariousness of their profession, farmers denounce, in fact, the inflation of community environmental standards and unfair extra-European competition.

The government spokesperson therefore reaffirmed on Monday France's opposition to the signing of a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay , Uruguay and Venezuela).

The destabilization of the markets is such that we are going to take measures

According to the Élysée, the European Commission, keen to give guarantees to farmers, asked "its negotiators to put an end to the negotiating sessions which were underway in Brazil".

The French Minister of Agriculture also recognized on Monday the "perverse effects" of competition from Ukrainian products.

"The destabilization of the markets is such that we are going to take measures. So we are working to ensure that there is a limit to these imports, he said.

Several scenarios examined in Brussels

According to an EU official, the European Commission is examining "different options that could address some of the concerns expressed by farmers". A sign that this anger of the peasant world particularly worries the Twenty-Seven.

Politically speaking, it could prove devastating in the run-up to the European elections.

The Gard still very mobilized

Gard remains particularly mobilized at the start of the week. Responding to At the call of the Association of Mayors of the department, many elected officials went to the dam installed there. on the A9 since Thursday evening. "Supporting farmers is like supporting a member of our family in distresse, explains Philippe Ribot, president of the AFM30 and mayor of Saint-Privat-des-Vieux. Le Gard is a rural department from the Camargue to the Cévennes, our communes are linked to the survival of agriculture. We are aware of their despair, our mobilization sends a strong signal." Support that did not calm down peasant anger for all that. Without the morning, blocking points were found. installed & Alès, Remoulins and Bagnols in order to control trucks transporting goods from Spain. Operations which created very big disruptions and huge traffic jams on the secondary network. Large brands targeted À N&imes, around fifty tractors and as many masked farmers ignited the fire. tires, manure and waste in front of the entrance gates of the G&odis, Grand Frais and Auchan logistics platforms. Monday evening, it was the Lidl warehouse in Beaucaire that was targeted. by dozens of hooded men who set fires in front of the establishment, causing tensions with farmers telling them that the German brand favored local products. In the rest of the region, mobilization saw a clear decline on Monday. In Aude, a surprise action mobilized people. around a hundred demonstrators on a roundabout near the west toll gate at Carcassonne. In Lozère, the Confederation Paysanne organized a two-hour filter barrier on the RN106 à Florac and a snail operation is announced this Tuesday on the A75.