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French govt prepares to head off ‘siege’ of Paris planned by agricultural unions

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday tasked law enforcement officials with putting into place “extensive security measures” to prevent farmers from blocking Paris area airports or its Rungis market and “to prohibit any entry into Paris”.

The leaders of two of France’s largest farming unions said Saturday that members from the regions around Paris “will begin an indefinite siege of the capital” on Monday.

“All the major roads leading to the capital will be occupied by farmers,” they said, announcing their intention to blockade the massive Rungis wholesale food market south of the capital.

French farmers are furious at what they say is a squeeze on purchase prices for produce by supermarket and industrial buyers, as well as complex environmental regulations.

But the last straw for many was the phasing-out of a tax break on diesel fuel for farm equipment.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s Sunday visit to a cattle farm in the western region of Indre-et-Loire came two days after he announced a number of concessions following blockades by farmers of major routes into Paris and in the south of the country.

“We will look at any other measures we can take regarding … aspects of unfair competition,” Attal said on Sunday.

‘Ready to explode’
Attal said the government would “put an end” to the rising cost of diesel fuel used for farming machinery, a consequence of the tax breaks on the fuel having been phased out.

There would also be an emergency fund to help cattle farmers battle illnesses among their livestock.

Early on Saturday, some roadblocks were being lifted and traffic began running normally on motorways.

But the latest announcement by the FNSEA farmers’ union and the Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers), which together represent most farmers in France, puts the pressure back on Attal.

His concessions have “not calmed the anger, we need to go further”, said FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau.

“We have a government that doesn’t care about its farmers,” said Lucie Delbarre, general secretary of the Pas-de-Calais FDSEA branch.

“As you can see, it’s a pressure cooker ready to explode.”

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