French farmers unions call off protest after PM unveils raft of concessions
France’s two major farmers unions on Thursday suspended protests and lifted road blockades across the country on the back of a set of new government measures they said amounted to "tangible progress".
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Farmers have been out in force for more than a week in protests triggered by an agricultural fuel duty hike, pay conditions, high taxes and onerous red tape.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal offered a slew of new concessions including an annual 150 million euros for livestock farmers and a ban on food imports treated with thiacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide already banned in France.
Attal said he wanted to "better recognise the farming profession", "protect (farmers) against unfair competition" and "give value back to our food".
He also vowed to ensure a clear Europe-wide definition of lab-grown meat, a technology still in its infancy – apparently anticipating similar agricultural resistance to the product as has met plant-based milk and meat substitutes.
Easing of rules
France will also stop imposing stricter regulation on its farmers than European Union rules require, Attal said.
And he reiterated that France would remain opposed to the EU signing a free-trade deal with the Mercosur trade group of South American countries.
All major supermarkets will be audited for compliance with a law supposed to ensure fair prices for farmers' produce, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.
Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau announced a €2 billion loan package for those who are setting up as farmers.
There will also be a "pause" in France's national plan for reducing pesticide use, Fesneau said.
Thursday's multiple offers follow a first round of concessions last week, including the withdrawal of the resented fuel tax hike.
Protests lifted
The president of Young Farmers union, Arnaud Gaillot, said that in view of the announcements farmers needed to end their blockades and "enter into a new form of mobilisation".
Protests – whether roadblocks, lane closures or demonstrations – have affected more than 150 locations around France for the past week, with motorways around major cities including Paris and Lyon affected.
There were tense scenes at some farmers' roadblocks, as demonstrators demanded passing truck drivers open up their cargoes for them to check the origin of produce.
Calm had however returned to the vast Rungis wholesale food market that serves the 12 million people in the Paris capital region.
Gathering in front of parliament
A group of 79 farmers were released after being held in custody for a Wednesday incursion into the food hub, with prosecutors saying they will investigate for property damage.
France's second-largest farmers' union Coordination Rurale (CR) suggested members gather at the National Assembly parliament building in response to the arrests.
"Given that a lot of farmers want to come to Paris, we're telling them to go to the National Assembly so that all the MPs and senators can come and meet them," CR's president Veronique Le Floch told RMC radio.
(with AFP)
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