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French farmers to stage Eiffel Tower tractor protest

Genevieve Mansfield
Genevieve Mansfield - genevieve.mansfield@thelocal.com
French farmers to stage Eiffel Tower tractor protest
A farmer drives a tractor with a banner reading "Mercosur - no!" at a previous protest in 2024. Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP
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French farmers were set to demonstrate in Paris on Tuesday, in an attempt to reiterate their opposition to the EU's Mercosur trade deal.

French farmers (and their tractors) will demonstrate in Paris on Tuesday - heading from Les Invalides to the Eiffel Tower to protest against the EU's Mercosur trade deal, French daily Le Parisien reported.

The protest was set to begin at 12.30pm at the Esplanade des Invalides, and traffic congestion is likely.

The demonstration follows protests led by the FNSEA and Jeune Agriculteurs unions at the end of September, but as yet there are no plans fore more nationwide protests.

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The country's third-largest agricultural union, Confédération Paysanne, called on farmers and agriculture associations to mobilise against the trade deal that they see as "deadly for French farmers".

The union also hoped to pressure the French president to "keep his commitment to protect French farmers" by opposing the deal.

They picked Tuesday as the protest day in order to support two union members who were set to be tried in a Paris court for "violence and rebellion" during a previous demonstration at the Grand Palais in Paris last December.

French farmers have long opposed the Mercosur trade deal over comparatively less stringent regulations on the agriculture sector in South America.

They fear the agreement would facilitate the entry of cheaper beef, poultry, sugar and other foodstuffs to the EU. 

The European Commission and several EU member states have been pushing to sign the agreement by the end of December 2025.

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David from CA Pasadena, US
So the previous farmers' protest in September* - less than two months ago - was to highlight farmers' anger at the government? And yesterday's farmers' protest was against the EU MERCOSUR trade agreement? IT seems the French farmers are altogether rather annoyed by the current state of agriculture. *As noted in The Local's "'Banquet of shame': French farmers stage 'day of action' in plea for help", Sept. 23rd.

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