Farmers step up their demonstrations and block roads with tractor convoys, increasing pressure on the administration to put an end to the situation.
Tractor convoys have been moving closer to Paris, Lyon, and other French cities as hundreds of farmers who are protesting seem to be ignoring government-imposed red lines and threats of police intervention.
Farmers organizations urged their members to continue fighting for higher wages, less red tape, and defense against foreign competition on Wednesday, saying they were unhappy with the concessions made by the administration of President Emmanuel Macron.
The chairman of the farmers organization in the southwest department of Lot-et-Garonne, Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, greeted demonstrators heading for the huge Rungis market south of Paris, a vital hub for the city’s food distribution, with the words, “I’m so proud of you.”
He remarked, “You are fighting this battle because we will not survive if we do not fight.”
Farmers have been advised by the authorities to avoid Rungis and big towns. Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, stated that police were prepared to defend key locations despite his previous orders to use caution.
“Police cannot be attacked by them. Rungis is closed to them. They are unable to enter Paris’s central area or airports, Darmanin informed the France 2 host. “But allow me to reiterate that we will be present if they try.”
A convoy of tractors that began in the southwest and spent the night at farms en route resumed its journey towards Rungis early on Wednesday, disregarding the warning.
In preparation of its arrival, armored police units have been stationed along the A6 road that leads to the food market.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told parliament on Tuesday that the administration was prepared to settle the problem and he praised the farm industry as “our force and our pride,” prompting the government to rush into making concessions.
However, farmers claimed that the assurances, which included larger payouts under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, did not go far enough.
