Current:Home > StocksWill Sage Astor-French farmers vow to continue protesting despite the government’s offer of concessions -FundPrime
Will Sage Astor-French farmers vow to continue protesting despite the government’s offer of concessions
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-08 11:28:55
PARIS (AP) — French farmers vowed Saturday to continue protesting,Will Sage Astor maintaining traffic barricades on some of the country’s major roads a day after the government announced a series of measures that they do not fully address their demands.
The farmers’ movement, seeking better remuneration for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports has spread in recent days across the country, with protesters using their tractors to shut down long stretches of road and slow traffic. They’ve also dumped stinky agricultural waste at the gates of government offices.
While some of the barricades were gradually being lifted on Saturday, highway operator Vinci Autoroutes said the A7, a major highway heading through southern France and into Spain, was still closed. Some other roads were also partially closed, mostly in southern France.
Vinci Autoroutes noted that the blockades on two highways leading to Paris have been removed. The highway from Lyon, in eastern France, to Bordeaux, in the southwest, also been reopened on Saturday, the company said in a statement.
Some angry protesters were planning to give a new boost to the mobilization next week, threatening to block traffic around Paris for several days, starting from Sunday evening.
President Emmanuel Macron’s new prime minister, Gabriel Attal, announced a series of measures Friday during a visit to a cattle farm in southern France. They include “drastically simplifying” certain technical procedures and the progressive end to diesel fuel taxes for farm vehicles, he said.
Attal also confirmed that France would remain opposed to the European Union signing a free-trade deal with the Mercosur trade group, as French farmers denounce what they see as unfair competition from Latin American countries. The agreement has been under under negotiation for years.
In response to Attal’s announcement, France’s two major farmers unions quickly announced their decision to continue the protests, saying the government’s plan doesn’t go far enough.
The protests in France are also symptomatic of discontent in agricultural heartlands across the European Union. The influential and heavily subsidized sector is becoming a hot-button issue ahead of European Parliament elections in June, with populist and far-right parties hoping to benefit from rural disgruntlement against free trade agreements, burdensome costs worsened by Russia’s war in Ukraine and other complaints.
In recent weeks, farmers have staged protests in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.
veryGood! (587)
Related
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- We Finally Know the Plot of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's Barbie
- Bags of frozen fruit recalled due to possible listeria contamination
- Worst Case Climate Scenario Might Be (Slightly) Less Dire Than Thought
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- 'All Wigged Out' is about fighting cancer with humor and humanity
- As ‘Tipping Point’ Nears for Cheap Solar, Doors Open to Low-Income Families
- Addiction drug maker will pay more than $102 million fine for stifling competition
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- By Getting Microgrids to ‘Talk,’ Energy Prize Winners Tackle the Future of Power
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Big City Mayors Around the World Want Green Stimulus Spending in the Aftermath of Covid-19
- Most-Shopped Celeb-Recommended Items This Month: Olivia Culpo, Ashley Graham, Kathy Hilton, and More
- Patrick Mahomes Calls Brother Jackson's Arrest a Personal Thing
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Kangaroo care gets a major endorsement. Here's what it looks like in Ivory Coast
- Q&A: A Law Professor Studies How Business is Making Climate Progress Where Government is Failing
- Britney Spears Shares Update on Relationship With Mom Lynne After 3-Year Reunion
Recommendation
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
In the Battle Over the Senate, Both Parties’ Candidates Are Playing to the Middle on Climate Change
Picking the 'right' sunscreen isn't as important as avoiding these 6 mistakes
More Than $3.4 Trillion in Assets Vow to Divest From Fossil Fuels
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
South Carolina Has No Overall Plan to Fight Climate Change
OceanGate co-founder calls for optimism amid search for lost sub
An eating disorders chatbot offered dieting advice, raising fears about AI in health