Anger of farmers: vines planted, municipalities renamed, more than 80 symbolic actions launched in France

Less than a year after a major movement of anger, farmers begin this Monday a new cycle of mobilizationwith symbolic actions. Standards still as complex, insufficient income, they believe they have still not benefited from the 70 commitments then made by the Attal government, and denounce the signature next part of the Mercosur treaty. Roads cut, filter dams, signs removed, the first actions took place this Monday morning and during the night. Some “85 demonstration points are getting underway”according to Pierrick Horel, president of Young Farmers.

The actions are intended above all to be symbolic, the majority alliance wanting to alert the public authorities but “not to bore the French” : “What we want is to express across the entire territory this agricultural distress and this need to set the course again,” and underlined sur RMC Pierrick Horel. “If others have other modes of action, want to use violence or, as I heard, want (…) to starve Toulouse, that is not our mode of action”warned the boss of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau on Sunday on BFMTV, distancing himself from certain officials of Rural Coordination. The CR, which chose to wait until its congress is held on Tuesday and Wednesday to amplify its mobilization, promises “an agricultural revolt” with a “food cargo blockage” from Wednesday in the South-West if “no progress” is not noted in the Mercosur file.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned farmers that there would be a “zero tolerance” in case of “long-lasting blockage” roads. This Monday on France Bleu BesançonMinister of Agriculture Annie Genevard said “understand anger” farmers and assured that France is trying to “constitute a veto minority on this agreement”.

Dams and closed roads

In Yvelines, a thirty tractors spent the night on the N118 near Vélizy-Villacoublay, to block the two lanes in the Paris-Province direction. This Monday mid-morning, the farmers began to leave the premises. At the height of the mobilization, which began on Sunday afternoon, there were nearly 200 on site. On the dam, Loïc Rivière, 24, is worried about Mercosur: “It's scary. For example, if I decide to produce poultry, but at the same time we start to import chickens from Brazil or Argentina at a lower cost, I already know that my project will not be viable.”he explains to France Bleu Paris.

In the Varfarmers met at 8 a.m. in several places in the department, to converge in processions towards the motorway roundabout at Cannet-des-Mauresstrategic, with banners “Stop promises, make way for actions”. Earth was dumped on the road and crosses planted, symbolizing the death of French agriculture.

In Avignon, in Vaucluseseveral dozen tractors blocked the Europe Bridge this Monday morning, which connects the department with that of Gard. A convoy of farmers then headed towards the ramparts of Avignon where they sowed wheat and planted vines. At the beginning of the afternoon, they had to take the road to the prefecture.

Between 20 and 30 farmers and around ten tractors mobilized between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. in front of the Vendée sub-prefecturein Fontenay-le-Comte, according to the attached FDSEA by France Bleu Loire Ocean. In the Sommearound twenty tractors was expected before the Payment Services Agencyresponsible for disbursing aid from the Common Agricultural Policy.

In Savoywhere banners flourish on the roundabouts – “No country, without peasants”, “Our end will be your hunger” – the farmers met this Monday morning at 10 a.m., Place du Pénitencier in Albertville for actions “punctual on roundabouts, towing, banners” more “no hard and strong blocking”according to the president of the FDSEA.

Near the Belgian border, farmers control heavy goods vehicles. In front of the Vesoul prefecture, 180 farmers posted village signs and dumped three skips full of corn stover. Gatherings are underway in Angoulême and snail operations in Deux-Sèvres.

Other actions are planned during the day or evening. So in the Bas-Rhina large gathering is planned between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Pont de l'Europe in Strasbourg. Several processions must converge there, from the A35 North from Seltz, the A340 and the A4 from Haguenau and Brumath or even on the RD1083. Ahead of the mobilization, farmers covered around a hundred municipal signs overnight, according to the Bas-Rhin gendarmes.

In Isèrefarmers have planned to occupy roundabouts, in the communes of Chimilin, Rives, Sablons and Grenoble – the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie roundabout, at the end of Avenue de l'Europe. They will organize filter barriers between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.

In Laval, the Fdsea and the Young Farmers of Mayenne will demonstrate in the city center in the afternoon. They announce action on the Bridge of Europe from 4 p.m..

Covered radars

As during the previous mobilization, radars were covered during the night, particularly in Lozère where Rural Coordination 48 carried out an action, reports France Bleu Gard Lozère. “It is a source of income for the State, while for us, Mercosur will precisely mean a loss of income,” explains Jean-Luc Boulet, co-president of CR 48. The Young Farmers and the FDSEA invited the prefect to an exchange meeting this Monday afternoon, in Mende.

In Lillethere it is the prefecture which was covered this Monday, crossed out with a big “No to Mercosur”. In several towns in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, farmers have covered road signs or stuck stickers bearing the names of South American countries on town entrance signs.

Famous signs from South American cities

“Brasília”, “Rio”, “Buenos Aires”, “Asunción”… In Mayenne, in the Creuseor even in the Sommefarmers have renamed town signs after cities or countries in South America.

Others, in the Marnecovered the signs, crossed out with the words “Mercosur”. In Haute-Saônemore than 400 municipal signs were hung on the prefecture gates.