Farmers step up protest action in south-west France
Farmer protest placards include the slogan: ‘Those who feed you are dying of hunger’
Farmers continue to take action against the government, particularly in the south-west (stock image of a previous farmer blockade)
Filmbildfabrik/Shutterstock
Farmers in south-west France have stepped up their protest actions this week, with new roundabout occupations and placards with ‘shock’ slogans such as ‘Those who feed you are dying of hunger!’.
Some in communes near Toulouse, Haute-Garonne (Occitanie) re-occupied roundabouts with bales of hay on October 30, in response to calls to action from the farming unions the FNSEA 31 and Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) 31.
Their aim is to maintain pressure on the government until November 15, when decisions are set to be taken, reports regional newspaper La Dépêche.
Some farmers believe that their causes have been forgotten after the dissolution of parliament, snap elections, and cabinet reshuffles since the summer.
Tougher action
They now plan to step up their protests and say they may take tougher action “depending on the answers we get by November 15”, said a cereal farmer, who is protesting with her husband (also a cereal farmer), to La Dépêche.
The farming unions have repeatedly denounced what they see as a “lack of concrete and sustainable measures in the face of difficulties facing the profession” and the “multiple economic, climatic, social and health crises”.
Axel Tran Van, FNSEA union representative, said this week: “We warned the government about the distress we are suffering, we thought we were going to be able to work and have some benefits, and now we realise that they are indifferent to us, we do not even hear about agriculture any more…
“We are patient people but our patience has its limits. I think we are in for a turbulent winter in the farming world. Promises have gone unheeded, and now we need action.”
Some farmers have previously threatened to hold more road blockades in November, including at key border crossings, which could ‘paralyse’ trade across the European bloc.
Read also: Farmers plan more motorway blockades, claims French protest leader
Read also: Farmer protests intensify in south-west France
The new protests - notably in the communes of Seilh and Merville, as well as Le Burgaud and Grenade - come after around 60 farmers in the same region unloaded sheep's wool, bales of hay, and piles of straw and manure in front of government buildings in Auch (Gers, Occitanie).
The deadline of November 15 is also significant because this is the date on which farmers typically finish sowing crops for the year. After this, the farmers in the south-west say, they will be freer to “take to the streets” to continue protesting their cause.
