The protest that French farmers have been involved in for a few days has taken a tragic turn this Tuesday with the fatal attack of a farmer in the department of Ariège, in the south of the country. A vehicle ran over the victim while trying to avoid a road barricade. The deceased’s husband and son were seriously injured.
According to the first indications, the accident, in the town of Pamiers, was not premeditated and could therefore have been an accident, although the investigation is underway.
Following the example of German, Dutch, Polish and other European farmers and ranchers, French farmers are taking actions to express their discontent about the effects of inflation and the consequences of the Green Deal that will strongly condition their activity in the coming years. for example in the use of pesticides. There is also strong opposition to the planned increase in diesel used by tractors.
So far the most virulent French protests have taken place near Toulouse, with the blocking of the A64 motorway, which connects with Biarritz, on the Atlantic coast. The mobilization has spread throughout France, from north to south and from east to west, including Strasbourg, Poiters, Albi, Beauvais and other cities.
To try to calm things down, there was a meeting on Monday night in Paris between Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau, and the agricultural union FNSEA.
The French countryside has had problems for years, due to objective conditions of the sector, European politics, pressure from environmentalists and the difficult generational change. The high suicide rate among farmers has been the subject of debate and a film inspired by a real case that had great impact.
The holding of the European elections, on June 9, is no stranger to mobilizations. Farmers and ranchers see that it is an ideal time to put pressure on the parties. In the French case, the proximity of the International Agricultural Show in Paris, from February 24 to March 3, also counts, a very relevant event each year, a mandatory visit for all political leaders, including the president, who usually stops by until 12 hours visiting the fair.
