The government is expected on Thursday by angry farmers to formulate a response to the request for “immediate” aid of several hundred million euros made by the FNSEA.
Information to remember
⇒ Farmers’ grievances presented to the government
⇒ A new union joins the movement
⇒ Instructions given to prefects
The grievances presented to the Attal government
The FNSEA and the Young Farmers urged the government to take into account “the entirety” of their grievances to achieve an end to the crisis, the presidents of these unions declared to AFP on Wednesday. The “hundred very concrete proposals […] is not a basis for negotiations, it is a complete request in which there is no question of shopping”, warned the president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau. “They have sent their proposals”, Matignon confirmed to AFP in the evening, recalling that Gabriel Attal “met them all for several hours”.
Earlier on Wednesday, the first French farmers’ union and the JA had distributed a detailed list of demands to the government, in full mobilization of the profession throughout France. They demanded “immediate responses on remuneration” including emergency aid to “the sectors most in crisis”, and in the longer term, the implementation of a “project to reduce standards”, particularly environmental ones.
On this aspect of immediate aid, Arnaud Rousseau noted that “the estimates are in progress, but obviously we are talking about several hundred million euros”. After the representative organizations, Gabriel Attal must bring together the ministers of Agriculture, Ecological Transition and the Economy on Thursday. The Prime Minister will make “concrete proposals for simplification measures” for farmers on Friday during a trip with the Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau, we learned from the latter’s office.
A new union joins the movement
The movement, mourned by the accidental deaths of a breeder and her daughter on Tuesday at a road block, gained further momentum on Wednesday. Actions are to continue on Thursday, on motorways, ring roads and roundabouts.
The Confédération paysanne, the third farmers’ union, classified on the left, called for mobilization, following the FNSEA and the Rural Coordination to which it nevertheless opposes on many subjects.
Update on blockages
HAS Rennes, a demonstration is organized in the morning in front of the regional prefecture by the Rural Coordination union. Fishermen could also join the protest.
In Oisearound 50 tractors do not rule out moving towards Paris, depending on government announcements – even if Arnaud Rousseau has ruled out “at this stage” a possible blockage of Paris.
In Occitania, starting point of the agricultural protest last week, the A64 (Toulouse-Bayonne) was still cut on Wednesday evening near Carbonne, 40 km from the pink city, for the eighth consecutive day.
Bison Futé has indicated traffic bans on the A7 in the north/south direction on a section from from Avignon North, as well as an interruption of traffic on the A51 motorway in the direction of Marseille between La Saulce and Sisteron-Nord.
Several prefectures announced on the social network X new blockages and highway closures to be expected on Thursday. The prefecture of the Loire declared having issued an order prohibiting traffic on a section of the A72 from 4 a.m. in anticipation of a blockage. In the Gard, from 6 a.m., the A9 motorway enters Nîmes-Est and Gallargues and the A54 motorway between Nîmes-Ouest and Nîmes-Garons will be closed.
In PACA, the A54 will be closed from 8:30 a.m. on the section Saint-Martin-de-Crau/Grans. In the Doubs, the prefecture has warned of a snail operation on the A36 motorway.
In the Haut-Rhin, the prefecture has reported a blockage to be expected between Niederhergheim and Niederentzen. In the Hauts-de-France, Very serious disruptions are also expected on the A1 motorway near Seclin.
Instructions to prefects
On Wednesday, tension rose a notch at the end of the day in Agen in Lot-et-Garonne, when members of the Rural Coordination burned straw and tires in front of the prefecture, under the eyes of police forces. impassive order.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin gave instructions of “great moderation” to the prefects on Wednesday evening, asking them to only involve the police as a “last resort”.