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The French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, opens up to the farmers in revolt and promises a series of concessions, starting with the renunciation of cutting incentives on diesel fuel. The protest, which blocked several cities and highways on January 26, including those connecting Paris to the northern city of Lille and Belgium, is starting to fade but does not stop. After Attal’s announcements, some unions ordered “break ranks”, inviting protesters to “go home”. Already in the evening the tractor blockades in several cities, such as Bordeaux, Montpellier or Lyon, were lifted. However, the leader of the largest agricultural union (Fnsea), Arnaud Rousseau, called on his members to continue the protest.
France: over 72 thousand farmers participate in protest
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The mobilization
For Rousseau, Prime Minister Attal’s announcements “did not answer all our questions” and “did not calm” the anger of many farmers. According to the Fnsea and Jeunes Agriculteurs unions, “72 thousand farmers have mobilized in over 85 departments”, with “41 thousand tractors” on the roads. A demonstration is planned for January 27 in Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais), near the home of President Emmanuel Macron.
The protest aimed to increase pressure on the Attal Government, accused of not doing enough to help farmers. For Attal it is the first crisis since his recent appointment: in the afternoon he was in Haute-Garonne, visiting a cattle farm in the small municipality of Montastruc-de-Salies, a mountain village, near the border with Spain, about 800 kilometers from Paris. Accompanying him were Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture, and Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition.
The concessions
“We heard your message loud and clear,” Attal said, addressing the protesters waiting for him. The prime minister arrived at the appointment with a package of measures to be announced, including a series of regulatory simplifications to be implemented quickly and the waiver of reducing tax breaks on diesel for agricultural use. He then guaranteed that the Paris government will hit companies that violate the so-called “Egalim laws” to protect farmers’ income with “very heavy sanctions”. The prime minister also reiterated that Paris will oppose the ratification of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay).
«We are fighting for our agricultural independence and our sovereignty. We cannot leave our farmers at the mercy of unfair competition. I don’t understand those who pit the defense of farmers against the defense of the environment”, added Attal. Also announced were 50 million euros for the organic supply chain and aid for farmers in Brittany, affected by storm Ciaran, and for viticulture.