Paris, January 24 (EFECOM). – French farmers' protests are expanding and, according to the sector's largest union, will reach all departments of the country to put more pressure on Emmanuel Macron's government, which has committed to a first salvo of announcements before the end of the week .
“All departments will take action,” warned Arnaud Rousseau, president of the National Federation of Agricultural Operators' Unions (FNSEA), this Wednesday in an interview with the France Info radio station, noting that “the …” goal is not to upset the French.
Rousseau assured that “the aim is not to anger the French” but “to find solutions for agriculture” and “our determination is absolute”.
When asked about the political opposition's attempts to capitalize on the protests, the union leader replied that “farmers do not expect that they will be given political slogans”, that “they will vote in the European elections on June 9th, what they want” and that what they want are “concrete answers”.
“We are not here to get involved politically, but to defend our profession,” he emphasized.
The protest movement was mourned yesterday by the death of a farmer's wife and her 14-year-old daughter in an accident when they, along with her husband (who is seriously injured), were hit by a car that jumped over a barrier while they were taking part in blocking a road on the outskirts of Pamiers in the south.
The President of the National Group (RN), Jordan Bardella, took advantage of this tragic accident to show his solidarity with the movement and to give meaning to the fact that the three occupants of the vehicle that hit the farmers' family (who are imprisoned) , are migrants without Armenian documents who have been ordered expelled from France.
This Wednesday, across France, the number of road blockages by farmers, in many cases with their tractors, increased even further.
In the morning, motorways were completely or partially closed, such as the A63 in Bayonne, the A64 in Pau and Toulouse, the M6 and the A47 around Lyon, the A7 between Orange and Montélimar, the A49 between Valence and Grenoble and the A62 in Agen.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who received the leaders of the main agricultural unions on Monday and Tuesday, has promised to examine farmers' demands in detail and give an initial response on Friday, according to the Rural Coordination.
The FNSEA, which has called a meeting of its board, will present “approximately forty” demands this afternoon.
These include maintaining tax exemptions for agricultural diesel, reducing bureaucracy and controls to which farmers are subject.
Also changes in European policies to prevent the import of foods that have competitive advantages in production because, for example, environmental or health regulations are much stricter in the EU.
“We must ask for reciprocity,” stressed Rousseau, who spoke out against the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which is still pending ratification and which would allow, in particular, the import of 90,000 tons of beef, especially from Argentina and Brazil. where the French trade unionist reminded that the use of hormones was allowed. EFECOM
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