The “siege” of Paris announced by farmers continues on Tuesday with a thousand protesters positioned on major roads. As new measures are set to be unveiled today, the convoy from Agen to block the international market at Rungis was blocked by law enforcement near Limoges.
“I understand the anger” of the farmers, says Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT. She believes it is the “government’s responsibility to review a number of legal mechanisms” to “put an end to speculation on food.” The executive must also put pressure in “negotiations with industrialists and large retailers who capture all the value created,” she emphasizes.
After targeting a Lidl logistics platform, farmers have now targeted a Carrefour store in Beaucaire, dumping large amounts of earth in the parking lot. The convoy of farmers from Agen was temporarily blocked by law enforcement on the A20. Some protesters dismantled the highway barriers to use parallel roads while others remained to negotiate with the police.
Multiple major French roadways are blocked by protesting farmers. Highways in the Toulouse, Lyon, and Paris regions are among those affected. Gabriel Attal is set to give a speech on general policy around 4pm on Tuesday, which is being closely watched as farmers continue to put pressure on the government.
The convoy of farmers from Agen, heading towards Paris and specifically Rungis market, was stopped by law enforcement on the A20 near Limoges. Several major roads in the Paris region are partially closed due to the farmers’ demonstration.
Farmers have taken aim at a Lidl logistic platform in Beaucaire, Gard. The agricultural world remains mobilized, with thousands of protesters resuming roadblocks and demonstrations after a weekend of calm. Some of them have blocked major roads in the Paris area since Monday, January 29th, the scheduled start of the “siege of the capital” announced by the regional branches of the FNSEA and the Young Farmers. Their goal is to maintain pressure on the government, which promises “new measures” as of Tuesday, after the first round was deemed insufficient by industry professionals.
Despite some traffic difficulties, several highway sections have been closed a few dozen kilometers from Paris. The city itself is not blocked, nor are the Orly and Roissy airports. The same goes for Rungis, where gendarmes have been deployed since Sunday night, as dozens of tractors converge on the world’s largest fresh produce market at the call of the Yellow Hats of the Rural Coordination in Lot-et-Garonne.
