French farmers extend protests to Paris
Published: Friday, Jan 26th 2024, 15:50
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Farmers in France extended their nationwide blockades to the greater Paris area on Friday. Highways leading to the capital were blocked at toll stations, according to the agricultural union FDSEA. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wanted to make the first concrete promises to the farmers, who have been protesting for days, in the afternoon.
Attal, accompanied by Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau and Environment Minister Christophe Béchu, was expected in a small town in the south of France.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had previously announced stricter controls on the food industry and trade. It had become apparent that manufacturers and retailers had been disregarding the regulations in force in France since 2018, which are intended to ensure a fair income for farmers. Although they outwardly sided with the farmers, they then circumvented the law by relocating purchasing centers abroad or declaring foreign goods as French.
Meanwhile, the blockades in France continued to grow in scale. In the south of the country alone, 400 kilometers of freeway were closed. In the evening, the agricultural associations wanted to react to the Prime Minister's announcements and decide whether to continue the protests. Unusual actions are also being prepared: in La Roche-sur-Yon, farmers announced that they would climb naked onto piled-up bales of straw in a traffic circle in protest, as reported by BFMTV.
Meanwhile, a traffic jam caused by farmers' protests in the city of Reims caused great distress for a young couple on their way to the delivery room. Out of necessity, the woman gave birth in her car, assisted by two municipal police officers and a fireman, as the newspaper "L'Est Républicain" reported, citing the city.
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