Angry farmers step up their mobilization with large-scale actions

Farmers’ protests have gone up a notch. After the actions of the FNSEA, it’s the turn of the Coordination Rurale to take up the baton, calling for large-scale mobilizations. On Tuesday November 19, farmers were quick to block lorries coming from Spain on the A9 freeway, provoking a real showdown in the field.

In Lot-et-Garonne, between 200 and 300 demonstrators gathered outside the prefecture in Agen, determined to keep up the pressure. “We’re going to block all the freight that feeds France: purchasing centers, ports, everything that brings in food”, declared the president of the department’s Chamber of Agriculture, showing his determination to step up the actions. Activists also dumped garbage in front of the prefecture, symbolizing their exasperation at a situation deemed untenable.

Paralysis of the A9 freeway

The A9 freeway was the scene of an impressive blockade throughout the day. In striking images, kilometers of trucks at a standstill bear witness to the scale of the action. The well-organized farmers even poured liters of Spanish white wine onto the road, a symbolic gesture to denounce foreign competition.

At the border crossing between France and Spain, the protesters have set up a veritable camp, armed with provisions and ready to hold their position for as long as necessary.

Protest led by Coordination Rurale

It’s no longer the majority union, the FNSEA, which is leading the actions, but the Coordination Rurale. With spectacular means, the union intends to make farmers’ voices heard in the face of what they perceive as the authorities’ lack of interest in their difficulties.

Through these blockades and fist-fights, farmers are expressing a deep-seated sense of frustration, and seeking to draw attention to a situation they see as increasingly critical.

Farmers mobilized across France: tensions in Guéret and spectacular actions

Farmers are mobilizing across France. In Guéret, Creuse, farmers took things to a new level after a demonstration in front of the prefecture. The premises of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) were targeted and damaged during an action carried out as part of a national call by the Coordination Rurale.

In mid-afternoon, around thirty farmers from the Coordination rurale de la Creuse (rural coordination) took over the site, accompanied by eight tractors and four skips. They smashed the glass door of the MSA agricultural mutual’s premises, depositing around ten tires, before moving on to the OFB building below. The front door was destroyed by kicks and breeze blocks, and files were thrown outside. These actions led to tense exchanges with the local OFB director.

Symbolic gestures in response to the agricultural crisis

In a symbolic gesture, demonstrators set fire to a large bundle of sheep’s wool in front of the premises of the Groupement de défense sanitaire. The gesture was a reference to the bluetongue epidemic that is hitting local livestock farms hard, exacerbating an already critical situation for farmers.

Persistent mobilization in the center of Guéret

The farmers, who had been protesting outside the prefecture since 1:30pm, had been able to speak with the Creuse prefect earlier in the day. However, their actions continued into the evening, as they remained mobilized in downtown Guéret. At this stage, they had not yet decided on the next stages of their movement.

A national movement in full swing

These scenes illustrate the extent of agricultural anger, which is manifesting itself in strong actions across the country. The tensions, exacerbated by local and national issues, bear witness to a deep-seated malaise in the farming world, which is ready to multiply initiatives to make its voice heard.