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Protests by French farmers gained momentum on Thursday as they moved closer to Paris. Tractors formed convoys and blocked roads in multiple areas of the country, increasing pressure on the government to take action in safeguarding the influential agricultural industry from foreign competition, bureaucratic hurdles, increasing expenses, and low wages for struggling producers.
Road congestion, traffic delays, blockades made of straw bales, unpleasant odors from piles of farming refuse near government buildings, and other protests have quickly become a major challenge for newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. He was chosen by President Emmanuel Macron two weeks ago to revitalize his administration.
Macron’s rivals are capitalizing on the protests by farmers to criticize his administration’s performance leading up to the European elections in June. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, attributed the farmers’ financial struggles to free-trade deals, imports, and red tape.
On Thursday, she stated that the government is the greatest adversary of farmers.
On Thursday morning, roads that were affected by slow driving included a highway located to the west of the French capital city, which is also the seat of power. According to farmer David Lavenant, who spoke to BFM-TV, they are steadily approaching Paris.
BFM-TV images from Agen, in southwest France, showed a supermarket being showered with a thick jet of pig slurry. There were roadblocks and other demonstrations elsewhere.
In Brussels, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, initiated a discussion panel to address the issue of farming and seek solutions that address concerns raised by protesters across the 27 member nations.
The strategic dialogue, also known as the discussion of long-term plans, is happening as the push for the EU parliamentary elections from June 6-9 gains momentum. The future of the farming industry is anticipated to be a highly debated topic.
According to von der Leyen, we can all acknowledge that there are numerous challenges facing us, such as competition from other countries, excessive regulation within our own borders, climate change, the decline of biodiversity, and a shrinking population.
Recently, farmers in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania have organized protests.
Source: independent.co.uk
