A month after the explosion of agricultural anger, tensions are not easing and tractor tires will once again tread the paved streets of the capital on Friday, February 23. To maintain pressure on the government, the FNSEA (National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions) and Young Farmers (JA) announced on Tuesday a demonstration in Paris on the eve of the opening of the 60th edition of the Agricultural Show.
The demonstration should begin at 4:00 p.m., at the Sèvres-Lecourbe metro station in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, according to the FNSEA. The procession, which is to be led by a few tractors, is expected to end an hour later in front of the gates of the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, where the show will be held as usual. Parisians, however, can expect something “calm and controlled,” according to a police source quoted by AFP.
The Secretary General of the FNSEA, Hervé Lapie, told AFP that the details of this mobilization have not yet been determined and the number of demonstrators is still uncertain. However, at least some of them are expected to remain in place all night. According to a source at the FNSEA, 2,000 to 3,000 people are expected and accreditations will be requested from all farmers who arrive on their tractors.
The president of Young Farmers (JA), Arnaud Gaillot, also called for “awareness-raising actions” during the inauguration of the Agricultural Show by Emmanuel Macron this Saturday, but to ban “damage.” According to the agricultural union leader, “we cannot have a normal Agricultural Show, as if nothing had happened in recent weeks and everything was going well.” He also specified that the purpose of the operation was not to “hold hostage” the event which remains, according to him, “our showcase of agriculture.”
The decision to organize this new demonstration came even before Prime Minister Gabriel Attal spoke on the subject at a press conference held on Wednesday morning. Dedicated to the agricultural crisis, this statement aimed to detail the “main orientations” of a new agricultural law project and to ensure “follow-up and execution” of the government measures presented on February 1.
The Prime Minister assured that 62 commitments have been made and 100% of the projects are underway. A draft orientation law is to be presented at the end of the week with the aim of leading to a mixed parliamentary commission by June. Gabriel Attal also announced the launch of a “solutions conference” on “collective restoration” by April and the launch of a parliamentary mission on the Egalim law, which aims to ensure fair remuneration for farmers.
