China News Service, Paris, February 1 (Reporter Li Yang) French Prime Minister Attal announced a number of new measures on February 1, local time, seeking to meet the demands of protesting farmers. Farmers' organizations called on protesting farmers to suspend road blockades that day.
Attar said he would take a more serious look at agriculture to prevent farmers from unfair competition and would also write "food sovereignty" into law. He said that farmers engaged in animal husbandry need special help, so officials have decided to provide them with multi-faceted support, with a total assistance of 150 million euros per year.
When talking about EU-related agricultural policies, Attal said France would no longer impose stricter regulations on its farmers than EU rules. He also said France would continue to oppose a free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. Many French farmers believe that if this free trade agreement is reached, it will have an impact on French agriculture.
The French Agricultural Operators Union and other organizations subsequently held a press conference, affirming the new measures announced by Attal, believing that he was listening to the voices of protesting farmers. Therefore, relevant organizations called on protesting farmers to suspend road blockades to give officials time to implement the measures. .
According to reports from French BFM TV and other media, some protesting farmers followed the arrangements of the French Agricultural Operators Union and other organizations and ended the blockade of some highways outside Paris. However, some protesting farmers have yet to lift road blockades in some areas. French public opinion expects that the French farmers' protests will ease in the short term.
Since the beginning of this week, protesting farmers in France have blocked many roads outside Paris with agricultural vehicles, attracting attention from all walks of life in France. The EU's new common agricultural policy is believed to have caused dissatisfaction among farmers in many EU countries, including France.
French President Macron said on the 1st that European agriculture is facing a crisis, and the EU needs to make substantial adjustments to its agricultural policies. He also said the EU needed to establish common mechanisms to ensure that the prices retailers and food giants pay farmers are fair. (over)