Farmers defy govt warnings as tractor convoys inch closer to French cities

Convoys of determined farmers, undeterred by government warnings, continued their march towards Paris, Lyon, and other crucial locations in France on Wednesday.

Thousands of protesters, backed by farmers’ unions dissatisfied with concessions from President Emmanuel Macron’s government, pressed on for better pay, reduced bureaucracy, and protection from foreign competition.

Expressing solidarity, Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, head of the farmers’ association in Lot-et-Garonne, praised those heading to the vital Rungis market near Paris, emphasizing the gravity of their battle.

“You are fighting this battle because if we don’t fight, we die,” he declared.

Despite Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin’s stern warnings, a convoy of tractors from the southwest resumed its journey towards Rungis.

Darmanin emphasized the forbidden zones, including Rungis and major cities, but affirmed the readiness of the police to defend strategic points.

Police units, armed with vehicles, positioned themselves along the A6 motorway leading to Rungis in anticipation of the approaching convoy.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, acknowledging the crisis, assured parliament of the government’s commitment to resolving it, lauding the agriculture sector as a national strength.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire pledged to oppose the current state of a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur, a key concern for protesters.

However, farmers voiced skepticism, asserting that promises, including higher payouts under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), fell short. Johanna Trau, a grain and cattle farmer in Ebersheim, stressed, “Several of these measures will take three or four years to be implemented. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Protests intensified, with 10,000 farmers blocking 100 locations on major roads.

In addition to converging on Paris, convoys aimed to encircle Lyon, while protests spread across Europe, with Spanish farmers joining forces with their counterparts in France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Belgium, and Italy.