French farmers stage protests over EU-Mercosur trade deal

by IANS |

Paris, Nov 19 (IANS) Farmers took to the streets across France to protest against the trade agreement that the European Union (EU) plans to sign by the end of the year with the South American trade bloc Mercosur.

France's largest farmer union, the National Federation of Agricultural Holders' Unions (FNSEA), announced on Monday evening that 85 demonstrations have been organized across the country, but without blockades on motorways, Xinhua news agency reported.

The goal of the demonstrations was not to annoy the public, but to remind them of the urgent and dramatic situation facing the country's agriculture, the FNSEA said.

The EU and Mercosur states - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay - reached a comprehensive trade agreement in 2019.

Speaking Monday evening to the French public television channel France 5, Arnaud Rousseau, president of the FNSEA, called the EU-Mercosur trade deal "unfavorable," urging European farmers to be on the same frontline against the deal.

Sophie Primas, French minister delegate for foreign trade, told BFM Business channel on Monday that the agreement is "the symbol of the incoherence of European public policies."

In January, thousands of farmers in the country blockaded major cities, protesting against low income, red tape, and "unfair competition" from other countries.