Protesters dumped manure near the country’s president’s residence in the coastal town of Le Touquet; signing of the treaty was postponed until January
Dozens of French farmers protested this Friday (19) in front of the president’s beach house, in the coastal town of Le Touquet, in northern France. Protesters dumped manure and other materials near the residence in protest against the government’s agricultural policy.
During the last week, rural producers have been carrying out acts against the free trade agreement, the signing of which was scheduled for Saturday, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, but was postponed until January. They also criticize government management in the face of a disease that affects cattle herds.
Among the objects left in front of the mansion, guarded by security forces, were tires, cabbage, branches and a coffin with the inscription “No to Mercosur”. The house belongs to the French president and first lady, Brigitte Macron.
According to Benoît Hédin, from the agricultural union FDSEA, the protest was symbolic in nature and aimed at “current European politics”. He cited the agreement with Mercosur and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) as examples of measures that, according to farmers, represent setbacks.
Marc Delaporte, another rural producer, stated that the mobilization has been going on for around two years without concrete progress. According to him, imported products enter the European market without the same regulatory requirements and compete at prices that local farmers cannot match.
The European Commission closed the trade agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in December 2024, in Montevideo. The president of the body intended to formalize the signing during the Mercosur summit in Brazil, which ended up being postponed after pressure from France, recently supported by Italy.
The main French agricultural union, FNSEA, considered the postponement of the signature insufficient and stated that it will maintain the mobilization against the treaty. Farmers fear that the entry of South American products, such as meat, rice, honey and soy, considered more competitive, will harm European production, while the agreement provides for the expansion of exports of vehicles and machinery from the European Union to Mercosur.
*With information from AFP
