Protesting French Farmers Lift Blockade after Government Announced New Measures

European farmers have found themselves in an extremely unfriendly environment with canceled diesel fuel subsidies, an influx of cheap grain from Ukraine, and new regulations that have seriously limited their space for maneuver.

Tractor convoys started leaving the sites as the farmers dismantled tents and cleared barricades under police supervision.

This photograph shows the French national flag drapped between two tractors as farmers block the A7 motorway near Albon, southeastern France. - Sputnik International, 1920, 29.01.2024

French Farmers Stage Protest Blocking Roads to Paris

Arnaud Rousseau, president of the largest farmers union, FNSEA, spoke to a local news outlet and expressed a willingness to engage with the government’s proposals, stating “we now want to work” and take “concrete” steps in the coming weeks.

Regardless, he warned that the union would closely monitor the government’s actions and indicated a readiness to protest again, particularly as the country prepares for the Paris Olympics this summer.

In response to earlier unsuccessful attempts to appease the demonstrating farmers, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal unveiled some new measures on Thursday. The package includes substantial financial aid, tax breaks, and a commitment not to ban certain pesticides in France.

Attal specified financial support, including €150 million in aid for livestock farmers, decreased taxes on farm transfers between generations, and €80 million in emergency assistance for struggling wine producers. Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau spoke after Attal declared a €2 billion loan package for new farmers.