French farmers stage new Paris protest in effort to halt Mercosur deal

PARIS, - French farmers, who drove tractors into Paris on Tuesday, plan to stay overnight in the city centre to protest against an EU-Mercosur trade deal they say threatens local agriculture by creating unfair competition with cheaper South American imports.

Farmers in France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, and other member states have been protesting for months over the EU-Mercosur deal and numerous local grievances.

The demonstration on Tuesday was organised by the FNSEA, which is one of France's largest farm unions. A separate farmers' union, the Coordination Rurale, had brought tractors below the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe last Thursday in a surprise demonstration.

To assuage the protesters, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced a series of measures that would only kick in when and if a budget is approved.

He did not convince the farmers, who decided to spend the night in the city to force more concessions. "The progress made appears insufficient. They have decided to remain until new negotiations can begin with the government," Damien Greffin, vice president of the FNSEA and a farmer from the Paris region.

Lecornu said on X he asked the agriculture minister to prepare an "emergency bill" targeting water, wolf attacks on herds and production issues, many of which were highlighted by the FNSEA.

The government will also propose fiscal measures, including enhanced precautionary savings and support for farmers to better cope with economic shocks.

The measures would only become a reality when the divided parliament eventually passes its delayed 2026 budget bill, he emphasized.

The Paris police estimated around 350 tractors were at Tuesday's demonstration.

Tractors had converged again by the Arc de Triomphe and continued to the French parliament building, where some farmers dumped several metric tons of potatoes.

"The Mercosur agreement was approved even though the European Parliament hasn't had its say. This is going to lead to imports of foreign goods that we are perfectly able to produce in France and that don't respect standards which are imposed on French farming," said Greffin.

He said that beside the protest in front of the French parliament, farmers were also planning to demonstrate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on January 20.

The Mercosur deal's approval by most EU states on Friday, despite France's rejection, has intensified pressure on the government from farmers and opposition parties, some of which have filed no-confidence motions.

"Farming is going through a crisis like we've never seen and we need to make ourselves heard," said Guillaume Lefort, a crop farmer from Seine-et-Marne in the Paris region, holding an FNSEA flag in front of the lower house of parliament building.

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