Ecology is killing Europe. Farming France on the Street

As of 14 November, various protest actions and informing strikes have been taking place in France. Proposed were air transport protest actions, railways – SNCF, but above all farmers. The reasons are similar. The airline pilot strike is simply a consequence to fresh eco-taxes imposed on flights due to the fact that the government wants to make an additional billion euros per year on air tickets. For akin reasons, farmers besides strike. EU standards have undermined the competitiveness of the sector and free trade agreements with, for example, South America (Mercosur), are considered to be a "unfair competition" and a nail to the coffin of European agriculture.

On November 15, the protests of French farmers resumed. A year ago, specified protests paralyzed the main roads in France. Farmers believe that their demands and the threat posed by Brussels policy have not been met. FNSEA and Young Farmers (JA) called for action. "We're going back to the field," stated FNSEA chief Arnaud Rousseau.

A free trade agreement between the EU and Latin American countries (Mercosur) was the trigger for farmers' entry into the streets. This agreement was considered to be "to the detriment of our food sovereignty, our economy and consumer health".

President Emmanuel Macron himself, who spoke straight about the points of the disputed agreement, seems to realize this. Macron claimed to reject the Mercosur agreement "in its present form". He added that he had found an ally in the individual of president Javier Milei of Argentina. However, according to the French media, "The European Commission, pressed by countries specified as Germany and Spain, inactive seems determined to sign a free trade agreement before the end of the year".

The objection of farmers concerns not only the said agreement, but besides the failure to meet their demands a year ago, advanced taxes, imposed standards, prohibitions on the usage of certain measures and fertilizers, and, above all, failure of profitability. Farmers complain that for their hard work, which takes much longer than the 35-hour working week in another sectors, they sometimes gain little than the lowest benefit.
A series of protests and opposition opposition from the left to the right caused speculation in the media that Michel Barnier's number government could even "not last the winter". The motion for a vote of distrust is made by the left, but if the National Unity were to vote for, France will face another political crisis. The opposition supports farmers' protests. Marion Marechal Le Pen points out that "the problem of farmers' income is crucial here" and that the "time of madness of fresh standards and taxes" must be laid down. Republican Laurent Wauquiez urges that the pseudo-ecological attacks on agriculture be stopped and "to put an end to absurd standards which are imposed on them but which do not apply to products originating outside the Union". He recalled that “farmers work 50 or 60 hours a week for remuneration that does not even scope RSA (grant) and want to reconstruct France to a respectable job.”

Almost all politicians show good intentions. "I will do everything in my power" besides promised the farmers Prime Minister Michel Barnier at a gathering with the protesters from agrarian Coordination. The problem is that most of the contested standards and regulations are no longer national legislation, but "import" from Brussels.

Farmers went out on the streets in mid-November and their protest is slow growing. The agrarian Coordination Union (CR) called for the blockade of buying centres in the southwest of the country. Ports in Bordeaux and Hawra were blocked, Leclerc Group logistics platform in Mont-de-Marsan, Lands, in Mutualité Sociale Agricole (French KRUS) in Agen was poured 10,500 litres of manure.

"We are treated like dogs," said José Perez, co-chairman of #CR47 after throwing a group of protesting farmers out of the Prefecture. In Pessac, farmers from Żyrondo removed the European flag from the town hall mast. There were roadblocks of hypermarkets (Montauban), but besides various another forms of resistance, specified as blocking radars on roads, burning tires, will download plates with city names.

Farmers don't hide rage. They talk about “billion spent on Ukraine, immigrants and medical care for newcomers”, billions for “cleaning the Seine” for the Olympics and drowning money in pseudo-green ideas, while national agriculture dies.

The agricultural union FNSEA announced fresh activities that have been taking place since the beginning of the week. On Monday and Tuesday there were protests in 85 departments of France. In the context of greater pressure, the syndicate does not regulation out exacerbated action, but "with respect for property and people". The union leaders thus cut off from the most extremist forms of protest. Desperation, however, is large adequate that actions specified as throwing manure in Agen, or attacking police, can repeat themselves.

Bogdan Dobosh

Colere des agriculteurs : En signe de protestation, 10 500 litres de lisier ont été déversés sur les locaux de la Mutualité sociale agricole d’Agen.#agriculteursencolere#agen#manifestationdesagricultureurspic.twitter.com/0hdd6SV1et

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