Current:Home > InvestFrench farmers edge closer to Paris as protests ratchet up pressure on President Macron -GlobalInvest
French farmers edge closer to Paris as protests ratchet up pressure on President Macron
View
Date:2025-04-18 20:19:54
Snowballing protests by French farmers crept closer to Paris on Thursday, with tractors driving in convoys and blocking roads in many regions of the country to ratchet up pressure for government measures to protect the influential agricultural sector from foreign competition, red tape, rising costs and poverty-levels of pay for the worst-off producers.
Traffic-snarling drive-slows, barricades of straw bales, stinky dumps of agricultural waste outside government offices and other demonstrations have rapidly blown up to become the first major crisis for newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, installed two weeks ago by President Emmanuel Macron in hopes of injecting new vigor into his administration.
Macron’s opponents are seizing on the farmers’ demonstrations to bash his government’s record ahead of European elections in June. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party is polling strongly, blamed free-trade agreements, imports and bureaucracy for farmers’ economic woes.
“The worst enemies of farmers are to be found in this government,” she said Thursday.
Roads hit Thursday morning by drive-slows included a highway west of the French capital and seat of power. “We are getting progressively closer to Paris,” farmer David Lavenant said to broadcaster BFM-TV.
BFM-TV images from Agen, in southwest France, showed a supermarket being showered with a thick jet of pig slurry. There were roadblocks and other demonstrations elsewhere.
In Brussels, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opened a discussion panel to try to put farming on a new footing, hoping to take into account some of the complaints raised by protesters around the 27-nation bloc.
The so-called strategic dialogue comes as campaigning for the June 6-9 EU parliamentary elections is picking up steam and the fate of the farm sector is expected to be a hot-button issue.
“We all agree that the challenges are, without any question, mounting, said von der Leyen, be it “competition from abroad, be it overregulation at home, be it climate change, or the loss of biodiversity, or be a demographic decline, just to name a few of the challenges.
In recent weeks, farmers have staged protests in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.
veryGood! (1458)
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- After publishing an article critical of Israel, Columbia Law Review’s website is shut down by board
- The Daily Money: Is your Ticketmaster data on the dark web?
- West Virginia newspaper, the Moundsville Daily Echo, halts operations after 133 years
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Kim Kardashian Shares Update on Her Law School Progress
- A tranquilized black bear takes a dive from a tree, falls into a waiting tarp
- Biden's new immigration order restricts asylum claims along the border. Here's how it works.
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Interpol and FBI break up a cyber scheme in Moldova to get asylum for wanted criminals
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Alec and Hilaria Baldwin to Star in Reality Show With Their 7 Kids
- After publishing an article critical of Israel, Columbia Law Review’s website is shut down by board
- R&B superstar Chris Brown spends Saturday night at Peoria, Illinois bowling alley
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- AT&T resolves service issue reported across US
- Halsey releases new single 'The End' detailing secret health battle: 'I'm lucky to be alive'
- Woman initially pronounced dead, but found alive at Nebraska funeral home has passed away
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Shania Twain makes herself laugh with onstage mixup: 'Really glad somebody captured this'
Woman mayor shot dead in Mexico day after Claudia Sheinbaum's historic presidential win
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sells shares in Revolt as his media company becomes employee-owned
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Missouri court changes date of vote on Kansas City police funding to August
Coco Gauff overpowers Ons Jabeur to reach French Open semifinals
Goldfish unveils new Spicy Dill Pickle flavor: Here's when and where you can get it