French farmers stage new Paris protest in bid to halt Mercosur deal

French farmers drove tractors into Paris on Tuesday for the second time in a week to protest against an EU-Mercosur trade deal they say threatens local agriculture by creating unfair competition with cheaper South American imports.

Farmers in France, the European Union’s largest agricultural producer, and other member states have been protesting for months over the EU-Mercosur deal and numerous local grievances.

The demonstration on Tuesday was organised by the FNSEA, which is one of France’s largest farm unions. A separate farmers’ union, the Coordination Rurale, had already brought tractors below the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe last Thursday in a surprise demonstration.

The Paris police said it estimated around 350 tractors at Tuesday’s demonstration. One convoy of tractors had converged again by the Arc de Triomphe, while another convoy arrived by the French parliament building.

“The Mercosur agreement was approved even though the European Parliament hasn’t had its say. This is going to lead to imports of foreign goods that we are perfectly able to produce in France and that don’t respect standards which are imposed on French farming,” said Damien Greffin, vice president of the FNSEA and a farmer from the Paris region.

Greffin said that besides the protest in front of the French parliament, they were also planning to demonstrate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on January 20.

The Mercosur deal’s approval by most EU states on Friday, despite France’s rejection, has intensified pressure on the government from farmers and opposition parties, some of which have filed no-confidence motions.

“Farming is going through a crisis like we’ve never seen and we need to make ourselves heard,” said Guilllaume Lefort, a crop farmer from Seine et Marne in the Paris region, holding an FNSEA flag in front of the Assemblee Nationale parliament building.