TRACTORS of French farmers in Auray, Lorient, and Carhaix, in Brittany region of France.
They were seen shoveling hay bails and old tires on massive fires burning in roundabouts and blocking a major highway as they waited for French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to unveil a series of measures in response to their demands.
“It is said that Brittany can feed 26 million persons, so we are feeding beyond our regional frontiers. So we believe we have a role, we need the means to do it and that they remove those administrative shackles that strangle us.”
“So far it’s only speeches, we wait for them to be effective and see how it will play out in the future. If these actions are concrete or only words,” Sebastien Le Bihan, Pork Producer in Saint-Hernin said.
The French Mayor of Laz, meanwhile, expressed support to the protesters.
“I completely support them, I’m a member of the administrative council of the rural villages of Fonistere and we sent a letter to support the farmers, the fishermen and all those that suffer and show it through this kind of action. I’m very sensitive to this topic,” Annick Barre, Mayor of Laz said.
These protests are part of a broader movement by agricultural workers across the country seeking governmental intervention to address the challenges faced by the sector.
European Farmers have staged similar demonstrations across much of the continent in the past year, citing several grievances, including the European Union’s agricultural policy, emission-cutting measures, low income, and the influx of cheap grain from Ukraine.
Most recently, widespread protests were seen in Germany, where farmers and truck drivers staged a week-long strike against cuts to fuel subsidies.
