Two of the biggest farming unions - the FNSEA and Jeune Agriculteurs - on Tuesday called for protests to restart "from November 15th".
The November date has been timed ahead of negotiations on the EU's Mercosur trade deal with South America, this deal has been a particular source of anger for French farmers who claim that it will flood the European market with cheap meat and grain, produced by farmers who do not have to adhere to strict EU regulations.
“The agreement would open the door to 99,000 tonnes of beef, 180,000 tonnes of poultry, the equivalent of 3.4 million tonnes of corn and 180,000 tonnes of sugar”, warned the two unions in a press release co-written with associations specialising in beef, beet, milk, corn and poultry.
Several local groups of farmers have already restarted actions - over the past week 200 farmers demonstrated with signs in front of the Ariège préfecture while in Gers around 60 farmers dumped sheep's wool, hay bales and straw.
Meanwhile Jérôme Bayle, who organised the earliest blockades, told Sud Radio in September that a new round of protests were in the pipeline pending a meeting with new prime minister Michel Barnier – but added: “We’re not going to give the dates, we need to create a surprise effect.”
Across rural France many village signs remain upside down - an early symbol of the protests by farmers who say that increasing French and EU regulations make it impossible for them to make a living.
The widespread protests in January and February saw farmers block motorways, create rolling roadblocks of tractors and blockade key sites like the Rungis wholesale food market near Paris.
The protests were eventually called off after the government gave assurances, but unions say that some of their demands have not been met.
Comments