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Sheep march through Paris in farmers' protest

Ben McPartland
Ben McPartland - [email protected]
Sheep march through Paris in farmers' protest
Thousands of sheep and cattle march through Paris on Sunday. Photo Miguel Medina/AFP

Paris was turned into a giant animal farm on Sunday as thousands of sheep, cows and pigs marched through the capital accompanied by protesting French farmers who say their livelihoods are now under threat.

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More than 10,000 French farmers turned Paris into one big animal farm on Sunday as they protested against the rising costs involved in rearing farm animals in France.

“It’s a message of distress and dismay that we express today,” Peter Knight, president of the bovine federation affiliated to the FNSEA farmer’s union told Europe 1.

“This is a national issue that will go down in history. We are at the point of economic and social breaking point,” he added.

Farmers who raise animals claim they earn four times less than agriculturalists who grow crops. According to figures published by Europe1 a sheep of cattle farmer will earn around €1, 300  a month compared to a cereal planter, who earned on average €6,000 last year.

French cattle breeders also complain that their lives are being made more difficult by ever stricter regulations.

“We do not earn enough in terms of the time we spend working,” cattle rancher Michel Joly said. “This is a 24 hour, seven days a week job, with a lot of constraints. We are sick of it."

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