In Normandy, some 200 heavy goods vehicles were blocked for several hours near Torigny-les-Villes, at the entrance to the A84 which links Avranches to Caen.

At the end of the afternoon, there were still 345 heavy goods vehicles stopped at a motorway exit roundabout in Guilberville, the prefecture told AFP.

The envelope of 400 million euros in aid to road hauliers and the rebate of 15 cents per liter of diesel announced last week by the government were not enough to appease the anger of the demonstrators.

While the price of road fuel sold in French service stations fell below 2 euros on average last week, falling for the first time since the start of the year, according to official figures published on Monday, professionals from the various sectors are still calling for a drop in the price of diesel and GNR (non-road diesel).

Constantly rising in recent months, the price of these fuels had soared after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

At the start of the afternoon, four ships were still blocking access to the Tréport trade basin, according to the prefecture of Seine-Maritime.

At midday, the port had been blocked by 100 and 150 fishermen, according to the cooperative of artisanal fishermen in the town.

While a demonstration brought together 170 participants in the morning at the Normandy bridge, a meeting of fishermen also took place "to discuss the rise in the price of fuel", according to the prefecture.

In Brittany, the strongest slowdowns took place in Morbihan around Lorient, with some 10 kilometers of traffic jams.

Traffic resumed normally in the afternoon on the RN24 and the RN165, according to the prefecture.

Snail operations also took place on the Rennes ring road, also in Brest, Angers or La Rochelle.

Around 4:00 p.m., several vehicles leaving a Loire-Atlantique tollbooth were carrying out an action on the A83 towards Vendée.

Reinforcement taxis

South of Lyon, a dozen trucks blocked shipments from the TotalEnergies refinery in Feyzin (Rhône), at the call of the Confédération paysanne and the Rural Coordination.

Professionals block the Feyzin refinery, in the Rhône, to protest against rising fuel prices, March 21, 2022 JEFF PACHOUD AFP

"We have been here since 4:00 a.m. to protest against the explosion in the cost of energy and animal feed, which is taking on a disproportionate scale for our operations. The 30-day deadlines are going to be very difficult", detailed Gilles Jouve, breeder of suckler cows in Ardèche.

“A year ago, we bought a ton of corn at 200 euros. The last order was at 277 euros,” explained Manuel Arandel, from the Confédération paysanne.

There is "no tension on supplies to date and we do not anticipate any tension", told AFP a spokesperson for Ufip Energies and Mobilities, which brings together professionals in the oil sector. in France.

Taxi drivers have also joined the movement with snail operations in Orléans and Besançon.

Near Marseille, hundreds of taxis blocked the logistics warehouses in the Miramas commercial area.

According to Yazid Ziani, a member of the National Taxi Federation, the increase in fuel prices represents a loss of 400 to 600 euros per month for taxis, "who earn an average of 2,000 euros per month".

In Corsica, the two oil depots on the island, in Ajaccio and Lucciana (Haute-Corse), were blocked by farmers who placed their tractors and trailers in front of the depot entrances at 5:30 a.m., according to the prefecture.

They are asking for a resilience plan specific to Corsica.

In Hauts-de-France, filter dams took place in Dourges (Pas-de-Calais) and at the Lesquin transport and logistics center.

© 2022 AFP