Tractor processions back on the roads.
A few days before the highly anticipated Agricultural Show, which will be held on Saturday in Paris, farmers continue to want to put pressure on the government, particularly in Bouches-du-Rhône.
Several convoys begin to converge towards Marseille and enter the Phocaean city this Monday morning.
After government announcements which allowed the lifting of blockades across the country at the beginning of the month, the sector says it is ready to resume the protest, believing that the executive's promises are slow to materialize in concrete terms.
“If the announcements made on February 1 were hopeful, it is clear that they are having difficulty materializing in the regions.
State services are showing inertia and bad grace in implementing the simplification and control measures long awaited by farms,” accuse the Regional Federation of Agricultural Operators’ Unions (FRSEA) and Young Farmers. de Paca in a joint press release, cited by France 3.
“The pace of government is not good.
It does not correspond at all to the announcements that were presented to us,” criticizes Romain Blanchard, president of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Federation of Agricultural Operators’ Unions (FDSEA), in Provence.
“The longer it starts to move on the state side, the longer it will take to really move forward and accelerate to achieve our goals.
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Dozens of tractors enter Marseille
The processions left in particular from Trets, Saint-Cannat, Rousset and even Les Milles towards Marseille and convoys met at Plan-de-Campagne, according to La Provence.
Traffic was particularly tight on several roads in the department on which tractors were required to circulate, namely the D6, the A51 and the A7.
Bus transfers were even planned from Var to reach the Phocaean city, according to France Bleu.
50 tractors gathered in a parking lot in Les Milles before taking the road to Marseille.
You are also driving slowly on the D6 road #Agriculteursencolere
🚗Road information live on @bleuprovence 📻103.6 pic.twitter.com/KREHQ9vmNv
— France Bleu Provence (@bleuprovence) February 19, 2024
Early this Monday morning, traffic jams began to form towards the city, according to local media.
According to the latest information from La Provence, traffic has returned to normal on the A51, after significant traffic jams, but some traffic jams remain on the A7 inside Marseille.
Farmers have in fact already started to arrive at the MuCEM, designated as a rallying point.
A total of around fifty tractors entered the city, according to France 3. They were expected in the center of Marseille from 10 a.m., before the procession took the Old Port to reach the prefecture.
The latter therefore calls for “avoiding the MuCEM and Vieux-Port sector from 10 a.m.”.
A press conference for farmers is planned for the end of the day, at 5 p.m., before the convoys return to the farms.
❎Disruptions are underway on the roads of Bouches-du-Rhône due to #taxis & #farmers demonstrations.
👉Anticipate your travels, avoid the sectors concerned, remain cautious when approaching congestion points & informed of developments in the situation… pic.twitter.com/zDVAc4TpSk
— Prefect of the PACA region and Bouches-du-Rhône (@Prefet13) February 19, 2024
Taxis join the protest
At the same time, taxi drivers are also mobilizing this Monday, with strikes and snail operations planned in several cities this Monday.
In Bouches-du-Rhône, several filter dams are currently erected, notably at the access point to the drop-off at Saint-Charles station, at the entrances to Marseille-Provence airport which are saturated with nearly five kilometers detention at the commune of Marignane, and at the entrance to the Aix-en-Provence TGV station, again according to La Provence.
Blockages are also organized by around a hundred taxis at the Fossette roundabout in Fos-sur-Mer, with significant traffic jams to report on the N568.
For several weeks, they have been organizing blocking actions and snail operations to demand better remuneration and the withdrawal of an agreement concluded with the National Health Insurance Fund regarding medical transport.
Read alsoBefore the Agricultural Show, Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Attal on the alert
Faced with traffic disruptions, the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône advises to “stay on the A54 then the A7 motorway network” to reach Marseille, and “to take the A50” from Aix-en- Provence.
To reach the port area of Fos-sur-Mer, it is recommended to “avoid taking the RN 568”.
The authorities are calling more broadly to anticipate travel and “remain cautious when approaching congestion points”.
Invited on Europe 1 this Monday morning, the president of the FNSEA, the majority agricultural union in France, warned that “the anger is still there” and that expectations from the government remain “very strong”.
“We are going to arrive at a time where we are going to wait for the political decision,” warned Arnaud Rousseau, who will be received on Tuesday, alongside the head of Young Farmers (JA), by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron.
If the announcements do not live up to expectations, “farmers will realize that they are being made fun of and I imagine that actions will resume,” he added.