French Farmers Block Roads and Surround Paris With Tractors

January 26, 2024 Hour: 1:25 pm

On Friday, French farmers blocked the country’s main highways with tractors, demanding a response from the administration of Emmanuel Macron to their requests by the afternoon.

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In addition to disrupting traffic within French territory, the farmers’ protest has temporarily isolated the country from its neighboring nations.

The five main highways leading to Paris also remain blocked by members of the National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions (FNSEA), which represents over 20,000 local unions and 22 regional federations.

At 4:30 PM, farmers are expected to meet with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in the town of Montastruc, where he will announce an initial set of measures in response to their demands.

[ �� FRANCE ]

�� Entre 150 et 200 agriculteurs se sont réunis avec des tracteurs sur l’aérodrome de Pouilly-Maconge pour former un immense « SOS » visible depuis le ciel.pic.twitter.com/5q3RUG5Kkw

— (Little) Think Tank (@L_ThinkTank)
January 26, 2024

The text reads, “Between 150 and 200 farmers used their tractors at the Pouilly-Maconge airfield to form an SOS signal visible from the sky.”

Previously, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau demonstrated their supposed support for the farmers by issuing warnings to large agri-food distribution and processing companies.

Le Maire announced that the French government will double its oversight of compliance with the “Egalim Act”, which ensures minimum prices that distribution and processing companies must pay farmers to cover their production costs.

“I only give them a few days,” the Economy Minister said, emphasizing that companies violating the provisions of the Egalim Act will face fines of up to 2 percent of their turnover.

Fesneau denounced some distribution groups for bypassing the Egalim Act by purchasing products at lower prices abroad.

“We need economically responsible and patriotic operators,” French agriculture minister said, referring to what he described as a “deep crisis.”

#FromTheSouth News Bits | France: Demonstrations by farmers have intensified, disrupting roads with debris, burnt tires, or earth. pic.twitter.com/qFTOtYV3mF

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
January 26, 2024