On November 27, a tractor convoy in Paris paralyzed traffic, adding fuel to the fire caused by the social unrest that faced the government of Emanuel Macron.
After the Dutch and Germans did this, French farmers took to the streets in protest against government policies, which they said threatened their business.
Farmers are protesting the ban on glyphosate. More than 1 thousand tractors gathered from the north and south of the country, blocking the highway and bypass roads. Farmers threw straw in the center of the city, on the Champs Elysees, the avenue that symbolizes the splendor of the city, and blocked the highways connecting this part of the city with Concorde Square, the main city square in Paris.
Farmers' unions demanded a meeting with President Macron to inform him of the political decisions that confronted them. In particular, the French government decided to ban glyphosate herbicide until 2021, even before the current EU policy.
They promised exemption for those farmers who have no viable alternative. In the past, 2018, the EU authorized the use of this herbicide for another five years, until 2023.
Farmers are also outraged that the EU has entered into trade agreements with Canada and the Union of South American Mercosur. They argue that these contracts will lead to the import of cheaper, but lower-quality agricultural products.
They did not meet with Macron, but after negotiations with the Minister of Agriculture, Diddier Guillaume agreed that unions would meet with Prime Minister Edward Philippe on Tuesday, December 3. After that, the protest was suspended.
Video: French farmers paralyze traffic in Paris
Direct speech: “We are the new scapegoats. As soon as something goes wrong, the farmers are to blame. They treat us like criminals, ”said Jean-Yves Bricourt, one of the FNSEA leaders.
- 40 thousand farmers and 8.6 thousand tractors gathered in Berlin to protest at the Brandenburg Gate against the agricultural package of the federal government.
- The widespread protests of farmers across India against the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have gone largely unnoticed.
- German farmer Heinrich Wernhold of North Rhine-Westphalia dared to start growing truffles.
- Following recent cases of spinach poisoning, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli has announced that farmers will be trained in spinach.
