French farmers announce selective protests

This Monday, French farmers announced selective actions in supermarkets and hypermarkets, as the government’s promises to end the protests have not yet materialized.

“Yes, there will be actions aimed at large companies,” said Arnaud Rousseau, president of the National Federation of Unions of Agricultural Operators (FNSEA) this Monday, stressing that “there will not be a national movement yet.”

In an interview with France Info radio, Rousseau said that “everyone wants this to work” and that the goal is to prevent the Paris Agricultural Fair, which runs from February 24 to March 3, from escalating into tension and violence.

However, he warned that farmers will not give up their ambitions until then, as he believes there are a number of issues where progress has not been made.

The protests ended following Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s promises to the sector.

The FNSEA president is due to finally receive Attalus on Tuesday.

Among the demands is a change in the assessment of pesticide use, because, according to Arnaud Rousseau, the efforts farmers are making to reduce the use of the most dangerous ones are not getting enough recognition.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister said on February 1 that the Ecophyto plan was suspended with the aim of reducing its use by 50% by 2030, and a new assessment was being carried out in consultation with agricultural associations.

Another demand put forward by Rousseau was the compulsory parry of 4% of the land introduced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which Brussels had to abolish.

The head of the agricultural organization said that in this matter he hopes that “this week will be more decisive,” since “this is a long-awaited decision.”