Tractors roll into Paris as farmers protest EU-Mercosur agreement

French farmers blocked sites across Paris on January 8 in protest against the European Union’s planned trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc, as well as over several domestic issues.

Farmers from the Coordination Rurale union called for protests in Paris, voicing anger over the EU–Mercosur free trade agreement, which they fear could flood France with cheap imported food. Protesters also criticised the government’s handling of a cattle disease outbreak, Caliber.Az reports, citing France 24.

"We are between resentment and despair. We have a feeling of abandonment, like with Mercosur. We have been abandoned in favour of a space shuttle, an Airbus, or a car," Stephane Pelletier, the deputy president of the union in Vienne, in central France, told Reuters.

The protests come just days after the European Commission proposed allocating €45 billion from EU funds to support farmers and agreed to lower import duties on certain fertilisers, in an effort to win over countries hesitant about the Mercosur deal.

The agreement is backed by countries including Germany and Spain. Italy also appears to have thrown its support behind the deal, meaning the European Commission may now have enough votes to approve it—with or without France. A vote on the agreement is expected on Friday.

Farmers are also demanding an end to the mass culling of cows due to outbreaks of lumpy skin disease, arguing the measures are excessive and calling instead for vaccination programs.

Dozens of tractors lined up along the Seine near the Eiffel Tower and blocked several access routes into central Paris from the outskirts, including the Porte d’Auteuil area. Protesters managed to reach the city centre despite a ban imposed by French police.

By Jeyhun Aghazada