Act 2 of the agricultural crisis has begun. Monday evening, while 85 mobilizations had been recorded during the day, numerous “fires of anger” were lit all over France. Further actions are expected in the coming days.
23:53 – New disruptions expected this Tuesday on the roads in Île-de-France
END OF LIVE – On For motorists, disruptions are expected on the following routes: RD145, RD191, RD153, RD446, A6 towards Paris, N104 towards Corbeil-Essonnes, N7 towards Évry-Courcouronnes.
23:26 – The “fires of anger” lit up France this Monday evening
In the Tarn, in Vendée, in Bordeaux… Numerous “fires of anger” were lit this Monday evening by the demonstrators, as the agricultural union FNSEA welcomed on the social network X.
22:45 – The EU-Mercosur treaty, “a dangerous agreement for French agriculture”, says Jordan Bardella
Guest on the show Facing BFMthe head of the National Rally also attacked the EU-Mercosur treaty this Monday. “This agreement is a dangerous agreement for French agriculture,” he said, before urging Emmanuel Macron to “ensure France’s interests are respected” by threatening in particular to “suspend payments [de Paris] in the common pot of the European Union.
22:17 – Marine Tondelier pleads for “a referendum” on the EU-Mercosur treaty
“On subjects like that, the French must be able to express themselves,” judged in the program Monday is political on Twitch and LCP the patron saint of environmentalists who said she was in favor of organizing a debate with a vote in the National Assembly and “even a referendum”. Marine Tondelier also called on Emmanuel Macron to go to the end of his standoff, judging that it is a “question of will”. And to insist: “He is head of state, let him pick up the phone, let him be persuasive.”
9:46 p.m. – On the quays of Bordeaux, farmers light a “fire of anger”
The images were relayed by France Bleu Gironde on The prefect was expected there a little later.
9:19 p.m. – “Our plates are not trash,” says Xavier Bertrand at the farmers’ bedside
The president of the Hauts-de-France region went to meet the mobilized farmers this Monday evening in Neuville-Saint-Amand, in Aisne. “If we support them it’s because we say that our plates are not trash,” he declared on BFMTV, referring to the anger of farmers against the European Union-Mercosur treaty. And to add: “It is out of the question to have meat, which will come with the agreement of Mercosur, treated with growth hormones which are prohibited here. It’s as simple as that!”
20:42 – In Marne, some demonstrators are preparing to spend the night in front of the prefecture
Around sixty tractors, nearly 200 farmers, in Châlons-en-Champagne, in Marne, the demonstrators intend to take turns during the night to continue the mobilization on site. In addition to the Mercosur free trade treaty, they are also protesting against “overadministration” and campaigning for a decent income. The demonstration took place peacefully.
20:21 – A “fire of anger” lit in Albi
At the end of various actions organized throughout the day in Albi, in Tarn, a “fire of anger” was lit by certain farmers. As independent journalist Luc Auffret reveals on X, with supporting images, models representing farmers were burned. Objective: to denounce the distress of the profession.
19:44 – “Between political announcements and the reality on our farms, there is a gap,” laments Arnaud Rousseau
A few months after the highly publicized farmers’ demonstrations last winter, the head of the FNSEA agricultural union, Arnaud Rousseau, believes on the plateau of C to you that “between political announcements and the reality on our farms, there is a gap”. And to give as an example: “Gabriel Attal announced cash loans in March. […] Today, nothing has been done because of the dissolution.”
19:18 – Rejection of Mercosur: “There is no question of not trading”, the boss of the FNSEA explains
Guest of C to youArnaud Rousseau returns to Mercosur, against which angry farmers are particularly opposed. “First, I would like to reiterate that France, agricultural France, needs to trade, to export,” he began by emphasizing, before pointing out: “The fundamental subject for us is not not tonnage, it’s quality and reciprocity.” Demanding traceability and more controls, Arnaud Rousseau advances: “On what comes into Europe […] about 3%” is controlled and, “the figures vary, but 15 to 20% of what comes in does not comply with European legislation”. And to conclude: “Europe imposes on us production conditions among the highest in the world. So much the better ! But these standards must also apply to imports.”
19:05 – “85 demonstration points”, says the FNSEA
What is the scale of the movement this Monday? According to the FNSEA-JA alliance, some “85 demonstration points” have been identified across the country. And this, without any motorway blockages being observed. The FNSEA is indeed keen to stand out from the Rural Coordination, renowned for its punchy actions which attracted a lot of attention last winter.
18:43 – An action carried out in front of the French Biodiversity Office in Beauvais
The Departmental Directorate of Territories of Oise does not seem to be the only one to have been targeted by the demonstrators. As noted by BFMTV, farmers also placed several concrete blocks in front of the French Biodiversity Office in Beauvais this Monday at the end of the day. For the rest of the evening, the demonstrators plan to go to the prefecture and spend the night there.
18:27 – The boss of the FNSEA invited from C to you
President of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau is the guest of C to you on France 5 this Monday evening. From 7 p.m., he should notably return to the mobilization of farmers across France and the reasons for this movement.
17:38 – Farmers want to stay the night in front of the Beauvais prefecture
According to information from the local press and specifically from Oise Hebdo, farmers are currently at the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT) of Beauvais and intend to “place bird scarers” in front of the prefecture premises to “awaken the State”. The demonstrators, who came in tractors, plan to spend the night. And tomorrow, Tuesday November 19, they intend to put an end to this action in front of the prefecture to take the road to Amiens.
16:47 – The demands of the various agricultural unions
All agricultural unions are mobilized or will be in the coming days, but not all are demonstrating for the same reasons. The alliance between the FNSEA and the JA, majority unions and representatives of large farms denounces the signing of the agreement with Mercosur which would lead to a “sieve Europe” leaving between products “not respecting the standards imposed on European farmers” . It also calls for a simplification of production conditions with greater water storage and access to pesticides banned in France but not elsewhere in Europe. Added to the demands are salary measures which remain in the background.
The second agricultural union, Rural Coordination, calls for “extracting agriculture from all free trade agreements” and is in fact opposed to the one envisaged with Mercosur. She also calls for greater financial aid, the capping of a liter of non-road diesel at €1 and the sanctioning of large cooperatives which “have developed internationally and outsource their results”.
Finally, the Confédération paysanne, which is the third union in the sector, campaigns above all for the income of farmers which must be supported by “guaranteed minimum prices” and the support of reforms to support the agro-ecological transition.
