Will French farmers revolt once again against the Macron administration? In The Spectator, Gavin Mortimer explains the rising discontent among French farmers. He writes:
This sentiment of sullen resentment is particularly acute within the agricultural sector. It was they who set the tone for this turbulent year in France by launching a nationwide protest movement in January. Hundreds of farmers descended on Paris in their tractors, to be held at bay on the outskirts of the capital by a thin blue line of police and gendarmes.
Macron and his prime minister at the time, Gabriel Attal, promised the farmers that they were on their side. Trust us, they said, there will be financial aid and a commitment to ensure that the EU passes no trade deals that would be detrimental to French agriculture.
The farmers claim these promises have not been met. They are particularly incensed at the news that the EU is set to sign a trade deal next month with the Mercosur common market (which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia) at the G20 summit in Rio.
The deal has been nearly 25 years in the making but an agreement is pending, one which will open up the protectionist South American bloc to European exports, particularly cars and machinery. This would be wonderful for German industry. In return, the Mercosur deal would enable South Americans to ship more beef, wine and cereals to Europe. This would be disastrous for French agriculture.
The industry is already reeling from one of the most ruinous years in living memory. Record rainfall resulted in the worst wheat harvest in 40 years: 26.3 million tonnes compared to 35.1 million tonnes in 2023. France produces and exports the most wheat in the EU.
The inclement weather had also taken its toll on wine makers, with some facing losses of 60 per cent. Burgundy has been hit particularly hard by rain, hail and frost.
There have been animal epidemics and the rain has returned this month to threaten winter wheat sowing. Morale is shattered.
The main farming union, FNSEA, this week warned the French government that the Mercosur deal is a ‘red line’. Cross it, and the response from the farmers will be swift and substantial. There have been in recent days a series of uncoordinated actions from farmers across the country, but FNSEA has called on its members to launch a sustained protest on November 15, three days before the start of the G20 summit in Brazil.
Many farmers, however, regard their unions as they do their politicians: with disdain and distrust. ‘If the movement starts up again, it will start without the unions,’ said one farmer recently. ‘And then it will be uncontrollable.’
Read more here.
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