2024 French farmers' protests explained

2024 French farmers' protests
Partof:2024 European farmers' protests
Date:16 January 2024 – ongoing
Goals:End of the tax on diesel, payment of aid planned by the state, and end of free trade agreement negotiations
Status:Ongoing
Injuries:3
Fatalities:2
Arrests:at least 91[1]

The 2024 French farmers' protests[2] are a series of protests and road blockages organized non unionized farmers and agricultural unions (FNSEA,,,) since 18 January 2024.[3] The farmers protested against low food prices, proposed reductions in state subsidies for farmers' diesel fuel, and a EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.[4] [5]

In response to the protests, Gabriel Attal's government scrapped proposed reductions in government subsidies for agricultural diesel and other measures to reduce financial and bureaucratic burdens for farmers, but the protests persisted.[6]

Chronology

Since October of 2023, smaller-scale pacific actions where have been carried out first in Occitania and then in other regions by farmers such as turning upside down municipal signage, this movement is called "On marche sur la tête", literally "we walk on the head" which is a french expression for "it's nonsense".[7] [8] The movement started from Occitania,[9] [10] [11] first with a demonstration in Toulouse on 16 January, which had no impact. Occitan farmers (Jérôme Bayle)[12] then decided to block the A64 motorway Toulouse-Tarbes on 18 January.[13] [14] [15] The movement has damaged property, including government buildings. Thus, on the night of January 18 to 19, an administration building was blown up by an explosion in Carcassonne (Occitania). This act was claimed by the Comité Régional d'Action Viticole (CRAV), a radical Occitan group of winemakers.[16] [17]

On 23 January, a 37-year-old Occitan farmer[18] and her 12-year-old daughter were killed after a car crashed into a roadblock where they were standing. The farmer's husband was badly injured.[19] [20]

Major roads have been affected in France from January 23.[21] Protesters planned to besiege Paris starting January 29. Some Occitan activists from Lot-et-Garonne of the of Agen (Karine Duc and José Perez) even managed to enter the Rungis market (near Paris) but they were immediately arrested by the police.[22] [23]

The blockades of autoroutes were removed by 3 February 2024 after promises announced by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on February 1.[24] [25] These protests are analogous to the 2024 Italian protests for agriculture.

On 3 June 2024, French farmer unions (The Ultras A64 of Jérôme Bayle and the)[26] collaborated with the Catalan farmers' platform Spanish Revolta Pagesa and other Spanish farmer unions to help block crossing points along the Spanish-French border across the length of the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.[27] Six tractors blocked traffic from the French side.[28]

Main demands

While the demands were centered around revenue, they varied throughout the movement, depending on who was expressing them, with some demands appearing once unions had taken the leadership of the movement.[29] The main worries of farmers, according to a poll dating from November 2023 were:[30]

  1. worries linked to income and the economic context were cited by 53% of respondents (with rising costs, market instability and inadequate sales prices at the top of the list);
  2. worries linked to standards, public policies and controls were cited by 35% of respondents (with laws and standards governing practices and controls at the top of the list);
  3. worries linked to the climat context and environmental vulnerability came in third, cited by 25% of respondents (with climate change and its consequences at the top of the list);
  4. lack of consideration and recognition came in 4th place, cited by 19% of farmers questioned.

At the beginning of the movement, Jérôme Bayle, who initiated it, had three demands:[31]

Two of these three demands are directly linked to the impacts of climate change in Occitania, where Jérôme Bayle works.

Bibliography

Divergences and representation in the French farming community: an analysis of the farmers’ movement of 2024, Parlons Climat

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Colère des agriculteurs : Ce qu'il faut retenir de la journée de mercredi - France Bleu . 31 January 2024 . 2024-02-01 . 2024-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240201221743/https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/agriculture-peche/colere-des-agriculteurs-les-mesures-de-gabriel-attal-n-ont-pas-convaincu-les-blocages-persistent-1250321 . live .
  2. Web site: French Farmers to Keep Protesting Despite Government's Concessions Offer . 27 January 2024 . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240212205251/https://www.voanews.com/a/french-farmers-to-keep-protesting-despite-government-s-concessions-offer/7459809.html . live .
  3. Web site: fr . "On va mener une action qui va marquer les esprits": les agriculteurs veulent bloquer les autoroutes ce jeudi . ladepeche.fr . 2024-01-24 . 2024-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124173913/https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/01/17/on-va-mener-une-action-qui-va-marquer-les-esprits-les-agriculteurs-veulent-bloquer-les-autoroutes-ce-jeudi-11701442.php . live .
  4. News: 2024 . France drops plan to decrease farmers' diesel discount but protests to continue . Reuters.
  5. News: 2024-01-26 . France farmer protests: PM offers key concessions after roads around Paris blocked . en-GB . 2024-01-29 . 2024-01-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129041855/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68104202 . live .
  6. News: 2024 . France steps up security as Paris farmers' protest looms . Reuters . 2024-01-29 . 2024-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240130061913/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-pm-considers-more-help-farmers-protests-persist-2024-01-28/ . live .
  7. News: Basar . Ani . Parédès . Carlo . Sarre . Emmanuel . 29 November 2023 . VIDÉO - Plus de 10.000 panneaux retournés en France : quel est l'envers de ces actions ? . 11 February 2024 . . fr . video+text . 12 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240212041451/https://www.tf1info.fr/societe/video-reportage-tf1-plus-de-10-000-panneaux-retournes-a-l-envers-en-france-qui-se-cache-derriere-ces-actions-coup-de-poing-des-agriculteurs-2277757.html . live .
  8. News: Blot . Anne-Sophie . 27 November 2023 . Panneaux retournés : on vous explique cette opération qui touche toute la France . 11 February 2024 . actu.fr . fr . 27 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227101909/https://actu.fr/societe/panneaux-retournes-on-vous-explique-cette-operation-qui-touche-toute-la-france_60383121.html . live .
  9. News: 'The French farmers' movement doesn't really have any similarities with the Yellow Vests' . Le Monde.fr . 24 January 2024 . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214115500/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/01/24/french-farmers-movement-doesn-t-really-have-any-similarities-with-the-yellow-vests_6461035_7.html . live .
  10. Web site: La Fédération des Pays Unis soutient les agriculteurs . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205184214/https://lejournaldugers.fr/article/73099-la-federation-des-pays-unis-soutient-les-agriculteurs . live .
  11. Web site: Colère des agriculteurs : pourquoi la mobilisation est partie d'Occitanie. Mathieu. ROBERT. January 26, 2024. Ouest-France.fr. January 28, 2024. January 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240128221411/https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/agriculture/crise-agricole/colere-des-agriculteurs-pourquoi-la-mobilisation-est-partie-doccitanie-8967015e-bc35-11ee-96ed-15a2bf803bd0. live.
  12. Web site: Blocage de l'A64: Jérôme Bayle, éleveur bovin dans le Volvestre, affirme que les agriculteurs sont "déterminés" à continuer le mouvement . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205074544/https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/blocage-de-l-a64-jerome-bayle-eleveur-bovin-dans-le-volvestre-affirme-que-les-agriculteurs-sont-determines-a-continuer-le-mouvement_VN-202401210319.html . live .
  13. Web site: VIDEOS. "On va bloquer l'autoroute !" les agriculteurs en colère après la réunion en préfecture . 16 January 2024 . fr . France 3 Régions . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128101100/https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/haute-garonne/toulouse/journee-noire-pour-la-circulation-400-tracteurs-et-2-000-agriculteurs-attendus-a-toulouse-2907179.html . live .
  14. Web site: En colère, les agriculteurs d'Occitanie manifestent une nouvelle fois ce mardi à Toulouse . 16 January 2024 . fr . Le Parisien . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128101213/https://www.leparisien.fr/haute-garonne-31/en-colere-les-agriculteurs-doccitanie-manifestent-une-nouvelle-fois-ce-mardi-a-toulouse-16-01-2024-SAKG6FNIONCJTPR4OVP3NRD2IQ.php . live .
  15. Web site: fr . Colère des agriculteurs : les revendications de la profession . L'Express . 2024-01-24 . 2024-01-24 . 2024-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124120334/https://www.lexpress.fr/politique/colere-des-agriculteurs-les-revendications-de-la-profession-OVYBVLZNFNGK7IFWBQFD53B2AM/ . live .
  16. Web site: Explosion dans un immeuble vide ciblé par les agriculteurs à Carcassonne . 2024-02-16 . 2024-01-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126032749/https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/4072675-20240125-manifestations-agriculteurs-batiment-vide-dreal-souffle-explosion-carcassonne . live .
  17. Web site: Une explosion souffle le bâtiment de la direction de l'environnement à Carcassonne, le sigle du Comité d'action viticole retrouvé sur un mur . 19 January 2024 . 2024-02-16 . 2024-01-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125124855/https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/aude/carcassonne/une-explosion-souffle-le-batiment-de-la-direction-de-l-environnement-a-carcassonne-le-sigle-du-cav-retrouve-sur-un-mur-2909633.html . live .
  18. Web site: Agricultrice et sa fille tuées en Ariège : Une reconstitution de l'accident a été organisée ce jeudi à Pamiers . February 2024 . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214021738/https://www.sudouest.fr/economie/agriculture/agricultrice-et-sa-fille-tuees-en-ariege-une-reconstitution-de-l-accident-a-ete-organisee-ce-jeudi-a-pamiers-18390411.php . live .
  19. News: 23 January 2024 . Mouvement des agriculteurs : ce que l'on sait de la mort d'une agricultrice et de sa fille sur un barrage en Ariège . Farmers protests : what we know about the death of a farmer and her daughter on a blockade in Ariège . 2 February 2024 . . fr . 16 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216163106/https://www.liberation.fr/societe/mouvement-des-agriculteurs-ce-que-lon-sait-de-la-mort-dune-femme-sur-un-barrage-en-ariege-20240123_4BJBBA5DFNDT7LYTKCASPHB4FA/ . live .
  20. News: 24 January 2024 . Mort de l'agricultrice dans l'Ariège : les premières explications du conducteur en garde à vue . Death of a Farmer in Ariège : the first explanations of the driver in custody . 2 February 2024 . . fr . 4 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240204063338/https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/faits-divers/article/mort-de-l-agricultrice-dans-l-ariege-les-premieres-explications-du-conducteur-en-garde-a-vue_228833.html . live .
  21. News: Willsher . Kim . 2024-01-29 . France warns farmers that blocking Paris market will be red line in protest . 2024-01-29 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077 . 2024-01-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129113822/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/29/french-farmers-drive-tractors-towards-paris-in-blockade-threat . live .
  22. Web site: Arrestations d'agriculteurs à Rungis: Karine Duc de la Coordination rurale dénonce une "rafle" . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205073549/https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/arrestations-d-agriculteurs-a-rungis-karine-duc-de-la-coordination-rurale-denonce-une-rafle_AV-202402011025.html . live .
  23. Web site: 2024-01-29 . Tractors block major roads as 'siege of Paris' begins . 2024-01-29 . BBC News . en-gb . 2024-01-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129145049/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-68126373 . live .
  24. Web site: Aides aux éleveurs, loi Egalim, pesticides… Ce qu'il faut retenir des annonces du gouvernement sur l'agriculture . February 2024 . 2024-02-16 . 2024-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205160721/https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/crise-agricole-gabriel-attal-fait-une-liste-de-nouvelles-annonces-pour-calmer-la-colere-01-02-2024-2551288_20.php . live .
  25. Web site: Mobilisation des agriculteurs : seule une portion de l'A71 reste encore coupée . aprr.fr . 4 February 2024 . 4 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240204164902/https://voyage.aprr.fr/autoroute-info/mobilisation-des-agriculteurs-seule-une-portion-de-la71-reste-encore-coupee . live .
  26. Colère des agriculteurs : "Cette journée nous permet de prévenir l’Europe", les agriculteurs français et espagnols s’allient pour bloquer les Pyrénées https://www.nrpyrenees.fr/2024/06/04/colere-des-agriculteurs-cette-journee-nous-permet-de-prevenir-leurope-les-agriculteurs-francais-et-espagnols-sallient-pour-bloquer-les-pyrenees-11993245.php
  27. Les agriculteurs français et espagnols s'apprêtent à débloquer la frontière. "Ils vont partir, au plus tard à 10H00 ce sera fini", a confié à l'AFP Jérôme Bayle, éleveur de Haute-Garonne devenu figure du mouvement de contestation agricole du début d'année https://www.lexpress.fr/societe/les-agriculteurs-francais-et-espagnols-sappretent-a-debloquer-la-frontiere-4KTPZYL3EZE33O2MRAWO33KZ2I/
  28. Web site: Sánchez Iranzo . Marta . 2024-06-03 . Catalan farmers block key French-Spanish border crossings in 24-hour protest . 2024-06-03 . El Nacional . en.
  29. Web site: Deloffre . Amélie . 2024-05-15 . Analyse du mouvement des agriculteurs 2024 . 2024-05-16 . Parlons Climat . fr.
  30. Web site: BVA . 22 Feb 2024 . New poll of farmers .
  31. Web site: 2024-01-29 . Colère des agriculteurs : pourquoi Jérôme Bayle a relâché la pression à Toulouse . 2024-05-20 . La Tribune . fr.

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