French farmers are gearing up for a nationwide protest later this month, warning that international trade deals risk undermining food sovereignty and local producers.
France’s most powerful farming union, the FNSEA, has called for a nationwide day of action on Friday 25 September, turning up the pressure on the country’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu.
The union’s president, Arnaud Rousseau, told Le Journal du Dimanche that farmers would take to the streets across all departments to protest against what they see as unfair global competition.
The main targets are the EU’s trade pact with South America’s Mercosur bloc, tariffs slapped on French exports by former US president Donald Trump, and what Rousseau described as “a flood of international imports that do not respect our standards”.
The timing couldn’t be trickier for Lecornu, as the French government is already bracing for a day of strikes and demonstrations organised by French trade unions on 18 September.
Just a week later, farmers will be out in force, adding a fresh layer of pressure on the fledgling prime minister.
French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal, block motorways in southern France
Mercosur under the spotlight
At the heart of the FNSEA’s anger is the EU–Mercosur agreement, which the European Commission signed off earlier this month.
While the text offers potential limits on certain agricultural imports in an effort to soothe French concerns, Rousseau insists it still undermines local producers. “We want guarantees that our sovereignty, especially food sovereignty, will be protected,” he said.
Unlike other unions, the FNSEA skipped the nationwide mobilisation on 10 September. “We didn’t take part simply because farmers are working!” Rousseau argued, pointing out that grape harvests are still underway, herds are on their summer pastures, maize and beet crops are being gathered, and cereal sowing has begun.
“We didn’t want to be drawn into the political manoeuvring around that protest,” he added.
French farmer convoys head to Paris as protests continue over pay, conditions
Expectations from PM Lecornu
Asked what he expects from Lecornu, Rousseau’s message was clear – vision and direction.
“I want from Mr Lecornu what I already expected from his predecessors: a roadmap to lift French agriculture out of doubt and give us the means to invest and innovate, so that we can guarantee the country’s sovereignty – above all its food sovereignty.”
The FNSEA’s show of force on 25 September will be a critical test for both France’s new prime minister and for Europe’s contentious trade agenda.
