Peasants' revolution: protests in European countries and threats to blockade the entrances to Paris

Police monitor a farmers' demonstration on the highway north of Paris today (Associated Press)

After a relative calm on the protest front last weekend, farmers are planning to take new measures to put greater pressure on the French government by besieging Paris with their tractors, starting at two o’clock in the afternoon, Monday, for an indefinite period.

The National Federation of Agricultural Unions and Young Farmers - the two unions that represent the majority of the profession at the national level - announced their dissatisfaction with the statements of officials and their insistence on following up on the demonstrations, stressing that the siege of the capital will be in 8 points on the highways leading to it.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the head of the First Agricultural Union in France, Arnaud Rousseau, explained that “the mobilization is still continuing, and we have taken a unanimous decision to continue it,” adding that “the government did not calm the anger of those affected, and the statements of the new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal are not sufficient, and did not answer all questions.” "Our demands."

He continued by saying, "Our movement will not be limited to highway barriers only, but will extend to the main roundabouts and in front of shops and others, to exert maximum pressure."

Farmers' unions in Europe threaten further escalation (European)

As a result, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday that the necessary measures would be taken, including a "defensive measure to prevent any obstruction" by farmers on the highways.

Darmanin added that the police should not "interfere at checkpoints, but rather secure them," stressing at the same time that they intervene in the event of damage or attacks by foreign trucks and arrest those who do not comply with orders. He also referred to President Emmanuel Macron's orders to ensure that tractors do not arrive in Paris and major cities to avoid any difficulties.

It is expected that at least 15,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized in all French cities, as well as the deployment of armored vehicles at regional airports and major supply markets, such as the Rungis market located on the outskirts of Paris.

European countries are experiencing daily protests by farmers in light of widespread dissatisfaction with the high costs of production, environmental and fuel standards, and unfair competition, especially after the increase in support for Ukrainian crops.

The protesters expressed their increasing anger by throwing agricultural waste, livestock manure, and straw bales in front of municipal headquarters, public offices, and inside fast food restaurants and shops.

From Germany to the Netherlands, through France, Italy and even Belgium, workers in the agricultural sector united to put pressure on the European Union and demand that it find effective solutions to its policies regarding diesel taxes, reducing nitrogen emissions, and limiting the use of pesticides.

Strikes and protests raise fears of the far-right exploiting the (European) atmosphere

Peasant revolt in Europe

The first spark of revolution erupted in the Netherlands in 2019 when farmers protested against the government’s plan to reduce livestock numbers and cut polluting nitrogen emissions in half by 2030.

In Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia, signs of discontent began to appear after local producers condemned unfair competition from Ukraine, which is accused of lowering grain prices.

Despite the resignation of the Polish Minister of Agriculture in April 2023, farmers closed the crossing points with Ukraine last November until they reached an agreement with the government to provide them with aid.

In Germany, farmers expressed their rejection of Olaf Scholz's government's plan to increase taxes on agricultural diesel last December, before setting off in tractor convoys to block roads across the country.

Then the anger moved to Belgium, where on Friday demonstrators blocked a highway and threw several kilograms of grain in front of the headquarters of the Agriculture Minister’s party in Brussels.

An effigy of French President Emmanuel Macron on a tractor as farmers demonstrate on a road near the Paris airport (Associated Press)

European agricultural policy

At the heart of the farm unions' demands is the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), a set of laws and regulations adopted in Brussels since 2021, and applied in the EU since January 2023.

This policy is considered a major part of the Green Deal, which aims to establish a roadmap for environmental transformation on the European continent to preserve biodiversity and food security.

The deal, which was first presented in 2019 - that is, before the Corona epidemic (Covid-19) and the war in Ukraine - and whose articles apply to more than 6 million farmers in Europe, also stipulates reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and removing carbon in the sector.

Farmers also strongly oppose the Green Deal, because it bans the use of pesticides and herbicides and will inevitably lead to lower agricultural productivity, as well as a new EU treaty that opens the door to importing more beef from Argentina and Brazil, two countries that are not subject to strict animal welfare standards. According to agricultural unions.

The free trade policy has also been subjected to a barrage of criticism, as unions say that it allows the entry of imports at cheap prices that are far from the required standards followed by local producers.

This comes after Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announced a few days ago his desire to sign the free trade treaty "Mercosur" between the European Union and the Common Market for Latin American Countries by next summer, a step that opponents considered "a clear distortion of the concept of competition."

Farmers next to a sign reading “Our end will be your hunger” on the highway, north of Paris (Associated Press)

France is an example

Workers in rural France share the same concerns as their European neighbors about what they see as “unfair and unexpected decisions” by governments.

The European Union allocates 30% of its budget to the agricultural sector, and France is the European country that benefits most from agricultural aid, as it receives 9.5 billion euros annually, while Spain receives 6.9 billion euros, and Germany 6.4 billion euros.

This assistance remains conditional on environmental commitments, including leaving part of the land fallow, or implementing agro-ecological infrastructure (such as fences, orchards, ditches, and ponds). To obtain it, a number of administrative procedures and lengthy field examinations must be completed.

Agricultural diesel prices are expected to rise due to the removal of subsidies, which means that farmers will be forced to pay an additional amount of up to 47 million euros annually for water consumption.

One in 5 French farmers lives below the poverty line, due to a 40% drop in income over the past 30 years, according to the National Institute of Economic Statistics.

Agricultural workers receive the lowest pensions, as the average direct pension for the French is 1,510 euros per month, while the pension of those who spent most of their working lives as farmers does not exceed a thousand euros, and may sometimes reach only 700 euros.

Studies indicate that suicide rates among farmers have increased since the 1960s, as it was estimated that one farmer commits suicide every two days in France. Suicides among farmers are 31% higher than the rest of the population, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Social Security.

Source: Al Jazeera