French farmers continue protests, threaten to block streets in Paris

On Friday, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's administration scrapped plans to phase out state subsidies on agricultural diesel and announced other steps aimed at easing the financial and administrative pressures facing many farmers.

French farmers continue to protest on the streets of Paris, photo 1 — French farmers block the A63 motorway during a protest in Bayonne, France on January 26, 2024. Photo: Reuters

However, France’s largest agricultural federation, the FNSEA, said it would continue its protests, with many farmers standing in front of roadblocks set up on motorways and boulevards on Saturday. “On Monday we will go to Paris,” farmer Vincent Gimneste told BFM TV at a roadblock in southern France.

Two local farmers' unions representing people working in the countryside around Paris also told French media they were aiming to cause major disruption in the capital on Monday, possibly around the Rungis food market.

French farmers continue to protest on the streets of Paris, photo 2 — French farmers use tractors to move slowly on the road to Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport in Compans, outside Paris, France on January 27, 2024. Photo: Reuters

The French prime minister's office said Mr Attal would visit a farmers' site on Sunday, as French authorities seek to stem the spread of protests.

Protesters also held a silent march in the northern French town of Beauvais on Saturday to remember farmers who have died in recent years, some of whom took their own lives due to stressful working conditions.

France is the European Union's largest agricultural producer and the French farmers' protests follow similar actions in other European countries such as Germany and Poland, with many protesters saying they are being affected by globalisation and foreign competition.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters, France24)

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