Mairead Maguire reports from the scene of the blockade by French farmers on a motorway outside Paris
THOUSANDS OF FARMERS protesting in France have tightened their grip around the capital city, as they call on the government to respond to their 140 demands to help the agricultural sector.
Despite government concessions, blockades on motorways around Paris have only intensified, with huge numbers turning out each day to disrupt traffic.
Their complaints range from rising costs and inflation to unhappiness with carbon-cutting targets, fuel prices, and bureaucracy.
A group of roughly 50 people on the A13 motorway to the west of Paris last night were instructed by their union to move 25km closer to Paris in an effort to increase pressure on the government.
The demonstrators – about 95% of whom were men – sat around fire pits, eating, drinking beer and having chats, few of which seemed to be on the subject of the blockade.
One demonstrator, Alexander, has been a tillage farmer in Normandy for 42 years. Asked by The Journal what the main downsides of being in the industry are, he said: “Politics.”
The government is disconnected from the day-to-day of individual farms, he says, and they make decisions without adequate communication.
“They don’t come in my farm to see what I’m producing.”
“When they take a decision to say ‘no pesticides’, ‘no GMOs’, for example, I say ‘okay, can we speak about it’. They say ‘no’. It’s tough.”
The fast-changing nature of government also means farmers find it hard to keep up with new rules.
Alexander says the farmers’ blockades may stay in place for months if serious concessions aren’t made.
On the motorway yesterday, about 35km from Paris, farmers didn’t seem tired.
The demonstration near Mantes-la-Ville was closer to a social event than a protest.
Even if they had chanted, in the middle of a now quiet motorway, no one would hear them.
Thousands have been taking part in the protests, each bringing their own vehicle – tractor, van or car – to form part of the blockade.
Tractors come adorned with provocative slogans. One said, “France, do you still want your peasants?”. Another said, “Macron, move your ass”.
They have 140 questions, or demands, many of which require policy change or lobbying at a European level.
On Friday, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who is in the job less than a month, announced some concessions.
The mooted increase in the agricultural fuel tax was scrapped, and better financial aid for irrigation and compensation for a wave of diseases are to be provided.
The government is also “drastically simplifying” certain technical procedures for farmers.
However, most farmers still feel the majority of demands have been ignored.
Much anger is directed at environmental requirements included in the European Union’s updated Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the bloc’s forthcoming “Green Deal”.
Macron is set to meet with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the crisis and the farmers’ demands.
Alexander said despite the problems they feel the EU created, protestors are largely in support of the Union.
“We are for Europe, but not a crazy Europe,” he said. “We want to ask questions and we want [the EU] to say what they want for the future of farmers of all the countries.”
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told police to show restraint when dealing with protestors, which was evident in the cool disposition of the few officers in attendance on the A13 yesterday.
The height of their interactions with the farmers was a calm chat about where they planned to go next.
Darmanin warned the farmers not to interfere with strategic spots, such as airports and wholesale food markets.
They haven’t so far, although some have threatened to occupy key buildings.
At around 5pm it was announced to the group by a representative from the Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA), that they’d be moving closer to Paris, where they could ramp up disruption.
They’ve been taking turns holding down the fort, even througout the night. “We have a lot of farmers, not the same [people] each day,” Alexander explained, “it’s a rotation”.
Now sitting just 10km from the city, along with blockades on seven other motorways into Paris, it’s clear that these protests are winding up – and this headache for the French government will not be going away any time soon.
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