On Tuesday, French farmers staged a protest near the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Driving tractors, they voiced their opposition to a free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
According to the news channel BFMTV, around 25 tractors arrived at the protest site. However, the demonstrators were unable to approach the Parliament building directly, as access was blocked by gendarmes and police vehicles. Representatives of the farmers union Coordination Rurale stated that they were negotiating with authorities to move closer to the European Parliament, as had been previously promised.
The farmers honked their tractor’s horns to express their disapproval of the trade agreement, which they believe threatens the competitiveness of French agricultural producers.
The protest is part of a broader campaign by farmers against the policies of the European Union and the French government. Farmers are demanding reduced bureaucracy, the release of delayed EU subsidies, support for young farmers, and the easing of environmental regulations that increase production costs.
