A decline, not the epilogue: farmers in France, epicenter of the revolt of the peasant world in Europe, lifted most of their blockages on Friday the day after the measures announced in Paris and Brussels but others, in Spain or Italy , continue the mobilization.
The main blocking points are removed, or in the process of being removed
Mobilized en masse since Monday, the French farmers who blocked sections of highways around Paris are gradually breaking camp at the call of the two main unions in the sector, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers, who spoke of the “
advances expected at national and European level
.
In its 7:45 p.m. situation update, Vinci Autoroutes informed Friday evening that traffic was gradually returning to normal on the majority of motorways in the VINCI Autoroutes network.
Traffic had notably resumed in the following sectors:
Reopening of the A7 between Chanas (n°12) and Tain l'Hermitage (n°13), in both directions
Reopening of the A7 between the A46/A47/A7N junction and the Vienne Sud exit n°11 in both directions of traffic
Reopening of the A9
between Gallargues and Nîmes Est in both directions
between Remoulins and the A9/A7 junction in Orange, direction Lyon
Reopening of the A20 in the Montauban sector in both directions
Reopening of the A54 between Nîmes and Garons in both directions
Rural Coordination attacked the French Biodiversity Office
Farmers from Rural Coordination erected straw walls on Friday and dumped manure and dung in front of the departmental branch of the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) in Mende in Lozère, which they accuse of being “
heresy”
.
This action comes the day after statements by Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu denouncing
“minority acts”
targeting the OFB premises in France.
The action was carried out by around forty farmers traveling aboard around 25 tractors who then headed to the prefecture, noted an AFP correspondent.
Commitments from France and the EU
In an attempt to extinguish the anger which was gaining ground in Europe, the European Commission on Thursday promised measures to defend the
"legitimate interests"
of EU farmers, in particular by reducing the
"administrative burden"
of the criticized common agricultural policy (CAP).
The French government, for its part, has promised since Monday a total package of 400 million euros to its farmers and announced the
“pause”
of a pesticide reduction plan.
It is a question of
“moving away from punitive ecology to be in an ecology of solutions”
, justified its spokesperson, Prisca Thevenot, on Friday, provoking the anger of environmentalists.
“The most visible moment of the crisis (...) is rather behind us
,” assured French Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau on Friday.
European policy too complex, incomes too low, inflation, foreign competition, accumulation of standards, soaring fuel prices: the demands expressed in France are found elsewhere in Europe, with the common target of the agricultural policy carried out in Brussels.
To make their grievances heard, thousands of demonstrators from several countries and some 1,200 tractors invaded the streets of the Belgian capital on Thursday.
Read alsoIn Brussels, “at the heart of the system”, European farmers unite their voice
Farmers were particularly focused on the free trade agreement that the Commission is currently negotiating with the South American Mercosur countries, including the agricultural powers Brazil and Argentina, and which France opposes.
Continuation of the movement in Spain and Italy
The farmers mobilized elsewhere in Europe, however, have not stopped their movement.
In Spain, the three main agricultural unions announced on Friday that they were continuing their mobilization following a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, while a series of demonstrations are planned in the coming weeks in the country, notably on February 13 in Barcelona.
Unions denounce
“growing frustration and unease”
in the agricultural sector in Spain, Europe's leading exporter of fruit and vegetables.
Also read: Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Poland... Farmers' anger is brewing across Europe
In Italy, calls are circulating to convince farmers to converge on Rome and an action is planned for Saturday north of the capital.
In Sicily, a convoy of tractors paraded through the town of Ragusa on Friday to the sound of horns and brandishing a sign asking
“Sai cosa mangi?”
(
“Do you know what you are eating?”
).
“We have to act because they don't listen to our problems
,” said one of the farmers on a local channel.
In Sardinia, farmers and breeders continue to block the port of Cagliari and intend to continue their action until Monday, according to local media.
Faced with this movement, the Commission had already made concessions at the start of the week by proposing to grant for 2024 a
“partial”
exemption from the set-aside obligations imposed by the CAP.
The IMF warning
After the burst of announcements, particularly in France, the International Monetary Fund, guardian of budgetary orthodoxy, was concerned about the impact of government aid on state finances.
“If this puts governments against the wall and prevents them from doing what is necessary to strengthen economies, there may come a time when we might regret it
,” said IMF boss Kristalina Georgieva.