According to their statement, they try to disrupt the supply of food to supermarkets.
Tractors are converging on Paris as French farmers launch a massive protest against the challenges facing their sector. They claim they are suffering from low incomes, excessive regulations, bureaucratic hurdles, and unfair competition from foreign imports.
The government has deployed 15,000 police officers to prevent the tractors from reaching the capital and other urban areas. Similar demonstrations are also happening in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands.
One farmer in Paris told the BBC: “We can’t do cheap farming… we need to be able to make a living from our trade.” The protesters have dubbed their action as the “siege of Paris”, but they have left some secondary roads to the city open.
Their main objective is to disrupt the supply of food to supermarkets, which the authorities have advised them not to do. However, the police have been instructed not to use force, and the situation has remained calm so far.
Arnaud Rousseau, the leader of the FNSEA, the largest farmers’ union in France, said the aim was to pressure the government to quickly end the crisis. He added that the protests would continue across the country until the government announces “emergency measures” – especially on food prices and the harmonisation of standards.
The government spokeswoman, Prisca Thevenot, said the government would unveil new initiatives on Tuesday, building on the ones announced last week. Those included cancelling a planned increase in taxes on fuel and providing more assistance for farmers with sick animals.
The Elysée Palace also said that President Emmanuel Macron would meet with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday in Brussels, to discuss the situation of the agricultural sector and the EU’s support for farmers.
