Low Price Protests To Tax Relief: French Farmers Block Roads, Dispose Of Imported Products

Illustration of the demonstration of farmers in France. (Wikimedia Commons/Sunny Ripert)

JAKARTA - French farmers blocked highways and dumped imported product crates on Thursday, demanding immediate action against low prices at the farm level, environmentally friendly regulations, and free trade policies, as growing protests move closer to Paris.

The farmers say the protests, which have entered its second week after breaking in the southwest, will continue as long as their demands are not met, are the first major challenge for new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

All possibilities still exist, Arnaudtenlot, chairman of the Young Farmers Union (Jeunes Agriculteurs) told reporters when asked about farmer reports could start disrupting traffic in Paris on Friday.

Meanwhile, French intelligence agencies have warned the government that regional farmers' unions have asked their members to gather in the capital, the Le Parisien newspaper and BFM TV said.

When PM Attal met with senior ministers with the aim of announcing a concrete proposal tomorrow, farmers used piles of straw and tractors to block major highways in France, the largest agricultural producer in the European Union.

"We always have more regulations that must be obeyed, we are always asked for more and our income is getting less. We can't live from our work anymore," said farmer Jean-Jacques Pesquerel of the Calvados Coordinated Rurale union.

Pets containing tomatoes, cabbage, and cauliflower, according to one of the imported farmer groups, are strewn across the A7 highway connecting Marseille and Lyon, France's second and third largest cities. On the southwesternern edge of Paris, dozens of tractors were running slowly during the morning rush hour.

When asked when the protesters were going to lift the roadblock, badminton answered and asked PM Attal: "He's the one holding the key."

Earlier, the FNSEA farmers' union on Wednesday night handed over a list of their demands to the government, including better law enforcement designed to keep prices at the farm level.

Unions are also calling for diesel fuel tax relief for agricultural vehicles, immediate payments for EU agricultural subsidies, insurance payments for health and climate-related insurance, as well as immediate assistance for winemakers and organic farmers.

"An urgent response is needed," said the head of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rous.