Frustrated by low prices, burdensome regulations, and the impact of free-trade policies, French farmers have been engaged in protests for over a week, with blockades and slowdowns impacting major highways across the country.
Today, however, a significant escalation is promised, with multiple farmer groups converging on Paris to demand concrete measures from the government.
The FDSEA Île-de-France (Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles – French National Federation of Farmers’ Unions) and Young Farmers of Île-de-France have called for blocking access to Paris from 2 p.m. on Friday, raising concerns about significant traffic disruptions and the possibility of a partial siege of the city.
Also, major motorways like the A9, A7, and A20 brace for farmer-organized blockades and slow-moving convoys of tractors, snarling traffic and testing commuters’ patience. The A9 between Aude and Vaucluse will be completely shut down in both directions from 6:30 a.m., throwing travel through Hérault and Gard into disarray. And as three separate farmer processions converge on Montpellier today, the potential for spillover disruptions near Paris looms large.
The frustration was palpable yesterday, when on the A7 linking Marseille and Lyon, farmers dumped crates of tomatoes, cabbages, and cauliflowers, claiming they were imported produce squeezing out domestic growers. Near Agen, simmering anger toward supermarket giants boiled over as farmers doused a Leclerc store with animal waste, a stark symbol of their resentment against price-pressuring retailers.
Adding fuel to the fire, the powerful CGT trade union has thrown its weight behind the farmers, threatening to broaden the protests into a wider social movement against the government.
Prime Minister Attal, under pressure to quell the unrest, is expected to unveil concrete proposals today in a bid to appease the farmers. But their demands are clear and urgent: fairer prices, relaxed regulations, and immediate financial aid.
The powerful FNSEA union, representing French farmers, has laid out a list of expectations, and their message is unequivocal – “urgent responses are needed”