Dozens of French farmers drove tractors into Paris to protest the proposed EU-Mercosur free-trade pact, fearing cheaper agricultural imports from Brazil and neighbours will undercut them. The Rural Confederation organised peaceful rallies at sites including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, while about 40 vehicles blocked access to a fuel depot near Bordeaux. Farmers are also angry about a government-ordered cattle cull linked to lumpy skin disease. Similar mass protests occurred in Belgium in December.
French Farmers Drive Tractors Into Paris to Protest EU-Mercosur Deal
A few dozen tractors arrived before dawn and cruised through Paris, with some reaching the Eiffel Tower and others at the Arc de Triomphe (Thomas SAMSON)(Thomas SAMSON/AFP/AFP)
Dozens of French farmers drove tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest a proposed EU-Mercosur free-trade agreement they say would leave them vulnerable to unfair competition.
The convoy arrived before dawn and circulated through the capital, with some vehicles reaching the areas around the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The demonstration was organised by the Rural Confederation union.
"We said we'd come up to Paris — here we are," said Ludovic Ducloux, co-head of one of the union's chapters. One tractor carried a placard reading No To Mercosur, a reference to the proposed deal between the EU and a bloc of South American countries.
Supporters of the EU-Mercosur agreement say it would create the world's largest free-trade area and boost EU exports of cars, machinery, wine and spirits to Latin America. Farmers, however, warn that cheaper agricultural imports from Brazil and neighbouring countries could undercut domestic prices and squeeze farm incomes.
Rural Confederation president Bertrand Venteau told AFP the group intended to stage peaceful demonstrations at symbolic Parisian sites, even if some participants were detained by police. In the southwest, near Bordeaux, about 40 farm vehicles blocked access to a fuel depot, local authorities reported.
Farmers are also protesting a government order to cull cattle after outbreaks of nodular dermatitis, commonly known as lumpy skin disease. President Emmanuel Macron met representatives of farming groups at the end of last month to discuss both the trade negotiations and the culling policy.
Earlier actions by farmers have included road blockades, spraying manure and dumping rubbish outside government offices to pressure authorities to change course. Similar unrest has spread beyond France: Belgian farmers rolled roughly 1,000 tractors into Brussels in December to oppose the same trade deal.
Why it matters: The clash highlights tensions between trade liberalisation and protection for domestic agriculture, and underscores how health measures for livestock can compound farmers' grievances.
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