Dozens of French farmers brought central Paris to a standstill on Thursday, blockading key routes and parking tractors along the Seine in protest against a proposed European Union trade agreement with South American nations. The demonstrations, organized by the Coordination Rurale union, also voiced frustration over the government’s handling of a recent outbreak of lumpy skin disease in cattle.
Farmers fear the EU-Mercosur trade deal will inundate France with cheap food imports, undermining domestic agriculture. “We are between resentment and despair. We have a feeling of abandonment, like with Mercosur. We have been abandoned in favour of a space shuttle, an Airbus, or a car,” said Stephane Pelletier, deputy president of the union in Vienne, central France.
The protests coincided with EU efforts to address farmers’ concerns. The European Commission recently proposed releasing 45 billion euros of funding earlier than planned and agreed to reduce import duties on some fertilizers, aiming to win over member states hesitant about the trade deal. While the agreement has strong backing from Germany, Spain, and reportedly Italy, France’s opposition highlights the domestic tensions surrounding the accord. A vote on the deal is expected on Friday.
Beyond trade, demonstrators demanded an end to the culling of cows affected by the highly contagious lumpy skin disease, arguing that vaccination would be a more appropriate and less destructive response.
Despite a strict ban by French police, farmers succeeded in bringing their tractors into the city center, blocking access points from the Peripherique, including Porte d’Auteuil. Authorities faced disruptions near the Eiffel Tower and along the Seine, as the agricultural protests underscored the deep economic and emotional stakes for France’s farming community in the debate over globalization and domestic policy.
