If there’s anything the French people know how to do well, it’s how to protest.
Images of French farmers spraying manure on government buildings in Paris have spread like wildfire on the internet. Protesters have used tractors to block main roads and highways essential to French transportation and infrastructure. These tractors have shut down major highways all throughout the country. Acts of defiance like this are a symbol for the grievance that farmers, along with other agricultural workers, have against the French government.
Farmers have been protesting low wages for those in the agricultural field along with unfair competition from competitors abroad. Farmers are calling for financial support from the government for those struggling in the current financial situation.
Specific regulations on French farming equipment and tools have caused an outcry. A new French pesticide ban caused farmers to resort to more expensive techniques in agriculture. These pesticides are authorized in neighboring countries in the European Union (EU), suggesting an unfairness in legal regulations within the EU.
In addition to the banning of products, many farmers are wary of outside competition posing a threat to their business. Gabriel Attal, the newly appointed Prime Minister of France, has reaffirmed that France will not sign onto free-trade deals that allow for cheaper, out-of-country produce to be sold in France.
The EU and the trade organization Mercosur have a trade agreement that allows products to be transported cheaply and quickly between the two. The Mercosur trade group is located in South America and would be a potential trade partner in the French situation, offering cheaper prices to French buyers. In 2021, Mercosur’s exports to the EU totaled €43 billion.
Attal faces his first major test in office. Attal was appointed by Emmanuel Macron earlier this year. He is the youngest Prime Minister in the country’s history. Additionally, he is also the first openly gay prime minister. Part of Macron’s purpose in appointing Attal was to promote a more diversified and revitalized French government that represents the social atmosphere that is seen in the country today. Attal personifies LGBTQ+ progress and stands for acceptance of the community.
Attal recently vowed to help support the farmers who have been protesting. While at a summit of EU leaders, Attal served as a leading voice in the confusion and difficulty of the situation. World leaders in the EU, notoriously filled with rich bureaucrats, have faced backlash from the working class, with several lashing out at the unjustness of the current financial crisis which specifically affects farmers.
“The question is currently being asked throughout Europe: is there a future for our agriculture? Of course, the answer is yes,” Attal said.
French unemployment remains a prevalent problem in the country. Attal has announced that the French government will take various measures to ensure that minimum wage workers will get better pay and middle-class households will receive more tax cuts.
In addition to financial support, Attal also explained his plan for unemployed people in the country.
Unemployed people will receive an income from the state in exchange for their time spent at designated job training programs. Additionally, they will spend time at opportunities such as internships to boost their employability and hopefully land a secure job in the future.
Following the protest’s support in the media, farmers have gone back to work. The National Federation of Agricultural Holder’s Union (FNSEA) is a large organization that represents various agricultural unions all around France. Leaders from FNSEA have encouraged farmers to end their protests and get back to work following the successful protests and road blockades.
“We say we should transform the action, by telling people they need to go home because there are also people who have jobs to do, there are also people who have been away from home for a very long time…We call on our members to suspend the blockades,” Arnaud Rousseau, head of the FNSEA union, said.
Dramatic protests have paused and the situation has subsided. Farmers tentatively watch as the government makes decisions that will hopefully aid their grievances.
