French farmers call for Paris blockade, eagerly await PM’s announcements

French farmers have called for the blockade of Paris on Friday afternoon, a week after they began protesting across the country, as new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to announce concrete measures.

On Thursday, the regional section for Ile-de-France of the majority union FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs called for the “launch of the Paris blockade” from 2 pm on Friday, but national leadership is more cautious.

“The blockade of Paris must be one of the last recourses”, said Arnaud Gaillot, president of Jeunes Agriculteurs, said..

They believe that only by addressing all their grievances can the movement be prevented, as they sent 24 proposals to the government on Wednesday following feedback from the field.

These include “absolute respect” for the so-called “EGAlim laws” that are designed to protect farmers’ incomes from industrialists, tax measures to support cattle farming, as well as the “complete and immediate rejection” of French standards if these are stricter than EU ones.

The unions also call for “an end to the inconsistencies between the Green Deal and ecological planning”.

FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs have warned that they will not “back down” if their demands are not considered.

Also on the front line is the rather right-wing “Coordination rurale”, which led the last “Paris blockade” in 1992, when the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was liberalised.

“Prices not premiums” and “a decent income for farmers”: the slogans remain the same in 2024.

On Thursday, the “Confédération Paysanne”, a left-wing union close to the ecologists, finally joined the movement.

Towards concessions on GNR, livestock farming and pay

But according to France’s Agriculture Ministry, concrete proposals for “simplification measures” were agreed upon at a meeting on Thursday between Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, and Environment Minister Christophe Béchu.

“The issue of GNR [non-road diesel], livestock farming and the remuneration of farmers should be addressed”, the same source said.

Non-road diesel has been a source of tension since the Economy Ministry’s decision to phase out tax breaks for farmers – an issue that led to nationwide farmer protests and blockades in Germany, as farmers opposed the government’s plan to end the tax exemption to make up for budget deficits.

The FNSEA is hoping for “full compensation for all” in the form of a tax credit.

“As things stand, nothing is negotiable. The ball is in the government’s court. We’ll see tomorrow whether it’s acceptable or not”, Gaillot warned on LCI.

(Hugo Struna | Euractiv.fr)

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