Angry protests: Why are French farmers so powerful?
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Angry protests: Why are French farmers so powerful?

The Hindu  

Published : Feb 27, 2024 23:25 IST - 5 MINS READ The annual Paris International Agricultural Show is usually a platform for French politicians to show voters how down-to-earth they are. Structural reasons behind farmers’ power “The farmers’ political power is well enshrined at all levels—through the numerous agricultural chambers but also because many local politicians are farmers themselves,” said Bas-Defossez. “The government has been determining agricultural policies jointly with France’s biggest farmers union FNSEA for the past 50 years—it is called ‘agricultural exceptionalism,’” Aubert said adding that similar systems were in place in other countries such as Germany. “Plus, farms are bigger and yield more produce with relatively little work input, which gives farmers there a competitive advantage.” Therefore, the economist is in favor of an “agricultural exception” similar to the one granted to France’s cultural sector—an idea also recently brought forward by the government. “French farmers are trying to ride the wave of anti-EU sentiment—although they are the EU Common Agricultural Policy’s biggest beneficiaries,” she said.

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History of this topic

Europe's farming wealth gap widening
1 month ago

Europe's farming wealth gap widening

China Daily  

By JULIAN SHEA in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2024-11-21 11:08 A protesting farmer walks past fires during a demonstration on Monday in Chalons-en-Champagne, in northeastern France, against the EU-Mercosur agreement. Analysis by the United Kingdom newspaper The Guardian showed that during the last 15 years, the wealth gap has doubled, at the same time as the number …

Europe's farming wealth gap widening
1 month ago

Europe's farming wealth gap widening

China Daily  

A protesting farmer walks past fires during a demonstration on Monday in Chalons-en-Champagne, in northeastern France, against the EU-Mercosur agreement. Analysis by the United Kingdom newspaper The Guardian showed that during the last 15 years, the wealth gap has doubled, at the same time as the number of small farms have fallen by a quarter, with a study by environmental …

Europe's farming wealth gap widening
1 month ago

Europe's farming wealth gap widening

China Daily  

A protesting farmer walks past fires during a demonstration on Monday in Chalons-en-Champagne, in northeastern France, against the EU-Mercosur agreement. Analysis by the United Kingdom newspaper The Guardian showed that during the last 15 years, the wealth gap has doubled, at the same time as the number of small farms have fallen by a quarter, with a study by environmental …

French farmers mobilize for protests over EU-Mercosur trade deal
1 month ago

French farmers mobilize for protests over EU-Mercosur trade deal

Live Mint  

PARIS — French farmers are mobilizing for widespread protests on Monday targeting the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Proponents of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement argue that it would significantly boost economic ties between Europe and South America by eliminating tariffs on European exports, notably for machinery, chemicals and cars, thereby enhancing market access and creating lucrative opportunities for European businesses. Earlier this …

French farmers escalate protests against an EU-Mercosur trade deal and fear unfair competition
1 month ago

French farmers escalate protests against an EU-Mercosur trade deal and fear unfair competition

Associated Press  

BEAUVAIS, France — French farmers escalated protests Monday against the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement under negotiation, citing fears of unfair competition. Now, with unfair competition from South American products boosted with hormones and GMOs, it’s the final straw.” Armelle Fraiture, a 25-year-old who took over her family’s 300-cow farm in the Beauvais region earlier in the year, expressed concerns about …

French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal that will increase South American imports
1 month, 1 week ago

French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal that will increase South American imports

Associated Press  

PARIS — French farmers protested Tuesday against a trade deal that would increase agricultural imports from South America, saying it hurt their livelihoods. Tuesday’s protest in Aurillac, in southern France, was the start of a fresh wave expected to spread among the European agricultural community amid concern that the deal could be finalized at the G20 summit in Brazil on …

With blaring horns rumbling engines, farmers in tractors block Brussels to protest EU policies
8 months, 3 weeks ago

With blaring horns rumbling engines, farmers in tractors block Brussels to protest EU policies

Deccan Chronicle  

Brussels, Mar 26 Dozens of tractors on Tuesday sealed off streets close to European Union headquarters where the 27 EU agriculture ministers were planning to discuss the crisis in the sector that has led to months of protests across the bloc. With protests taking place from Finland to Greece, Poland, and Ireland, the farmers have already won a slew of …

Spraying manure and throwing beets, farmers in tractors again block Brussels to protest EU policies
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Spraying manure and throwing beets, farmers in tractors again block Brussels to protest EU policies

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — Farmers threw beets, sprayed manure at police and set hay alight on Tuesday as hundreds of tractors again sealed off streets close to the European Union headquarters, where agriculture ministers sought to ease a crisis that has led to months of protests across the 27-member bloc. As the protests turned into violence again, police used tear gas and …

As the rumble of tractor protests grows, the EU offers more environmental concessions to farmers
9 months, 1 week ago

As the rumble of tractor protests grows, the EU offers more environmental concessions to farmers

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm on Friday proposed weakening even more climate and environmental measures in the bloc’s latest set of concessions to farmers apparently bent on continuing disruptive tractor protests until the June EU elections. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted that the EU’s overall climate goals remained intact, even though she stressed she would “continue …

How farmers’ protests in Europe and India share common ground
9 months, 3 weeks ago

How farmers’ protests in Europe and India share common ground

The Hindu  

Published : Feb 26, 2024 19:38 IST - 5 MINS READ The current farmers’ protest in Europe and the Indian farmers’ protest in 2020-21 and now again in 2024 have several specific features that reveal their differences, but they have a major commonality—they represent the revolt by farmers against the urban bias in agricultural governance in the industrialised West and …

Angry farmers clash with police near the European Union's headquarters in a fresh show of force
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Angry farmers clash with police near the European Union's headquarters in a fresh show of force

The Hindu  

February 26, 2024 05:27 pm | Updated 05:28 pm IST - BRUSSELS Farmers clashed with police in Belgium on February 26, spraying officers with liquid manure and setting fire to piles of tires in a fresh show of force as European Union Agriculture Ministers met in search of ways to address their concerns. At the start of the month, a …

Protesting farmers jam Brussels with tractors and set fire to tyres as ministers meet
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Protesting farmers jam Brussels with tractors and set fire to tyres as ministers meet

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Farmers set fire to piles …

Farmers converge on European Union's headquarters in a fresh show of force
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Farmers converge on European Union's headquarters in a fresh show of force

Hindustan Times  

Concrete barriers and barbed wire surrounded the European Union’s headquarters on Monday as farmers angry at red tape and competition from cheap imports drove their tractors into Brussels in a fresh show of force as the bloc’s agriculture ministers met. Police carrying riot gear patrolled near barricades set up at the main entry points to the European Council building, where …

Belgian farmers spray riot police – and EU – with manure
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Belgian farmers spray riot police – and EU – with manure

The Telegraph  

Elsewhere, the atmosphere was more serene. Marianne Streel, president of the Flemish federation of agriculture, yelled: “Free trade agreements, falling revenues and simpler Common Agricultural Policy.” “We’re here again in Brussels today as farmers because the European Union is not listening to our demands. Fugea, a group that represents smaller Belgian farmers, declared: “Europe does not seem to understand what …

Tractor protests threaten to drive the EU’s green farming policies into a ditch
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Tractor protests threaten to drive the EU’s green farming policies into a ditch

Associated Press  

WESTROZEBEKE, Belgium — It was the puddles of green sludge left by the tires of massive tractors in western Belgium’s industrial farmlands that drew the attention of biological engineer Ineke Maes. “You should not respond to the issues of the day by simply scrapping very important rules that have been seriously discussed, considered, that have been included in environmental impact …

Macron booed by French farmers who blame him for not doing enough to support agriculture
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Macron booed by French farmers who blame him for not doing enough to support agriculture

Associated Press  

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted with boos and whistles at the opening of the Paris Agricultural Fair on Saturday by angry farmers who blame him for not doing enough to support them. Police in full riot gear were deployed at the Paris Agricultural Fair to prevent them from getting close to Macron, who had a planned meeting …

Angry French farmers with tractors are back on the streets of Paris for another protest
10 months ago

Angry French farmers with tractors are back on the streets of Paris for another protest

Associated Press  

PARIS — Angry farmers were back in Paris on their tractors in a new protest Friday demanding more government support and simpler regulations, on the eve of a major agricultural fair in the French capital. Government officials have held a series of meetings with farmers unions in recent weeks to discuss a new bill meant to defend France’s “agricultural sovereignty,” …

Farmers from 10 EU countries join forces — and tractors — to protest agricultural policies
10 months ago

Farmers from 10 EU countries join forces — and tractors — to protest agricultural policies

Hindustan Times  

PRAGUE — Czech farmers were driving their tractors and other vehicles to several border crossings on Thursday to meet their colleagues from neighboring countries and join forces in their protests against European Union agriculture policies, bureaucracy and overall conditions for their business. HT Image Farmers complain that the 27-nation EU’s environmental policies, such as the Green Deal, which calls for …

Farmers from 10 EU countries join forces — and tractors — to protest agricultural policies
10 months ago

Farmers from 10 EU countries join forces — and tractors — to protest agricultural policies

Associated Press  

PRAGUE — Czech farmers were driving their tractors and other vehicles to several border crossings on Thursday to meet their colleagues from neighboring countries and join forces in their protests against European Union agriculture policies, bureaucracy and overall conditions for their business. Farmers complain that the 27-nation EU’s environmental policies, such as the Green Deal, which calls for limits on …

Hard work and too many statistics: An EU farmer’s frustration grows with every click of the mouse
10 months, 1 week ago

Hard work and too many statistics: An EU farmer’s frustration grows with every click of the mouse

Associated Press  

LEDEGEM, Belgium — On a farm in northern Belgium, not far from the hundreds of tractors blocking Europe’s second-biggest port to demand more respect for farmers, Bart Dochy was switching on his computer, waiting for a government program to load with maps of his land next to empty digital boxes demanding to be filled with statistics on fertilizer, pesticides, production …

Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a second day of tractor protests over EU policies and prices
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a second day of tractor protests over EU policies and prices

Associated Press  

MADRID — Mirroring protests across Europe, thousands of farmers in Spain staged a second day of tractor demonstrations on Wednesday across the country, blocking highways to demand changes in European Union farming policies and measures to combat production cost hikes and severe drought. State news agency Efe said that 1,000 tractors were heading slowly towards Barcelona’s city center, causing major …

Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a second day of tractor protests over EU policies and prices
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a second day of tractor protests over EU policies and prices

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mirroring protests across Europe, thousands …

French farmers lift road blockades around Paris after the prime minister offers a support plan
10 months, 3 weeks ago

French farmers lift road blockades around Paris after the prime minister offers a support plan

Associated Press  

PARIS — French farmers were gradually lifting their roadblocks around Paris and elsewhere in the country on Friday, a day after the French government offered over 400 million euros in various measures meant to answer their grievances over low earnings, heavy regulation and unfair competition from abroad. Arnaud Rousseau, the president of the biggest farmers union, FNSEA, speaking on news …

Europe is revolting… but not for the reason you might think
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Europe is revolting… but not for the reason you might think

The Independent  

There is something uniquely seductive about a town-vs-country clash. These manifestations of rural anger have combined with polls indicating growing support for what are loosely termed populist parties and politicians, and two sets of parliamentary elections late last year – in Slovakia and the Netherlands – where populist politicians came out on top, to suggest mounting political dissatisfaction in countries …

France’s 2 key farmers unions suspend protests after the government offers new measures
10 months, 3 weeks ago

France’s 2 key farmers unions suspend protests after the government offers new measures

Associated Press  

PARIS — France’s two major farmers unions announced they would lift country-wide blockades Thursday, shortly after the prime minister introduced new measures aimed at protecting their livelihoods that they described as “tangible progress.” However, farmer activists who have snarled traffic along major highways around Paris said they would stay put at least another day to see the government commitments in …

Farmers create chaos outside an EU summit and wrest some promises of relief
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Farmers create chaos outside an EU summit and wrest some promises of relief

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — Farmers burned bales of hay, threw eggs and firecrackers at police — and wrested some promises of relief from European leaders on Thursday, the culmination of weeks of protests across the continent over excessive red tape and competition from cheap imports. Eager to reassure a key part of the electorate and end disruptions in several cities, leaders at …

Why European Union officials are taking angry farmers so seriously before Thursday’s summit
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Why European Union officials are taking angry farmers so seriously before Thursday’s summit

Associated Press  

HALLE, Belgium — The writing of angry farmers was on the Paris-to-Brussels highway in giant yellow letters visible from up high: “Ursula, We are here!” It was chalked onto the road with an equal measure of defiance and desperation, warning European Commission Ursula von der Leyen not to ignore farmers’ concerns for better prices and less bureaucracy. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH …

Watch as protesting French farmers block major roads and motorways with tractors for third day
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Watch as protesting French farmers block major roads and motorways with tractors for third day

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Watch as French farmers continue …

Protesting farmers have France’s government in a bind
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Protesting farmers have France’s government in a bind

LA Times  

Protesting farmers relax by a bonfire as they block a highway in Jossigny, east of Paris, on Tuesday. Farmers have captured France’s attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused painful economic shocks, including higher costs, bringing farmers’ anger to a head in …

Protesting farmers have France’s government in a bind
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Protesting farmers have France’s government in a bind

Associated Press  

PARIS — Farmers have captured France’s attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused painful economic shocks, including higher costs, bringing farmers’ anger to a head in France and other European countries. “But we’re not getting the same revenue.” When the Ukraine war …

French farmers target Aldi and Lidl as protests spread across Europe: Tractors block retailer's distribution hubs over 'unfairly' low prices - as producers warn UK supermarkets face supply issues with
10 months, 3 weeks ago

French farmers target Aldi and Lidl as protests spread across Europe: Tractors block retailer's distribution hubs over 'unfairly' low prices - as producers warn UK supermarkets face supply issues with

Daily Mail  

Are YOU a farmer affected by this? French farmers targeted a Lidl distribution centre in south-eastern France by setting fire to rubbish outside Footage from the Lidl hub in the south of France showed mountains of rubbish dumped outside which was set alight As protests mounted across Europe, Belgian farmers also appeared to stage a demonstration in front of a …

Angry farmers laying siege to Paris say they're inspired by Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon farming show and 'everything he says in Clarkson's Farm is why we are here today'
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Angry farmers laying siege to Paris say they're inspired by Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon farming show and 'everything he says in Clarkson's Farm is why we are here today'

Daily Mail  

The angry farmers who are laying siege to Paris have said they are inspired by Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon farming show. The show, Clarkson's Farm, follows the former Top Gear presenter as he tries to navigate running a farm in the Cotswolds as 'Britain’s most unlikely farmer' French riot police prevented a tractor convoy blockading the largest fresh food market in …

France wants EU law changes 'this week' to quell farmers' protest
10 months, 3 weeks ago

France wants EU law changes 'this week' to quell farmers' protest

The Hindu  

France wants a decision this week to change European Union environmental regulations regarding agricultural surfaces which have to remain fallow under new biodiversity rules, in order to help the country's farmers, its farming minister said on January 29. The French Government is battling to try and contain nationwide protests from farmers, who are demanding better pay and living conditions, with …

France to push changes in EU law to deter farmers protest
10 months, 3 weeks ago

France to push changes in EU law to deter farmers protest

Firstpost  

As tractors blocked major highways out of Paris on Monday and nationwide farmer protests grew more intense, France announced that it would push to loosen European Union environmental regulations on fallow farmland this week. Rousseau said farmers would continue their action everywhere in France “with the aim to get emergency measures about the core of our business”. Farming Minister Marc …

Protesting farmers heap pressure on new French prime minister ahead of hotly anticipated measures
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Protesting farmers heap pressure on new French prime minister ahead of hotly anticipated measures

Associated Press  

PARIS — Protesting farmers shut down long stretches of some of France’s major highways again Friday, using tractors to block and slow traffic and squeeze the government ever more tightly to give in to their demands that growing and rearing food be made easier and more lucrative. This time, Macron’s new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, his mettle being sorely tested …

Watch: French farmers on tractors block roads as protest approaches Paris
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Watch: French farmers on tractors block roads as protest approaches Paris

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Watch as farmers in France …

French farmers edge closer to Paris as protests ratchet up pressure on President Macron
10 months, 4 weeks ago

French farmers edge closer to Paris as protests ratchet up pressure on President Macron

Associated Press  

Snowballing protests by French farmers crept closer to Paris on Thursday, with tractors driving in convoys and blocking roads in many regions of the country to ratchet up pressure for government measures to protect the influential agricultural sector from foreign competition, red tape, rising costs and poverty-levels of pay for the worst-off producers. Traffic-snarling drive-slows, barricades of straw bales, stinky …

European farmers block French roads and head to Brussels to protest wages and bureaucratic meddling
10 months, 4 weeks ago

European farmers block French roads and head to Brussels to protest wages and bureaucratic meddling

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — A surge in agricultural protests from the streets of Berlin to the flanks of the Pyrenees reached the European Union’s headquarters on Wednesday where farmers decried everything from petty bureaucratic meddling to the scourge of bankruptcy and worse. “We have the farmers’ common sense.” It’s a refrain heard across the 27-nation bloc, as farmers have to adapt to …

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