French Farmers Storm Agriculture Fair in Paris

By Clare Dueweke

On Saturday, February 24, a large group of French farmers led a protest through one of Paris’s largest agricultural fairs. According to Reuters, the farmers have been protesting extreme costs, green regulations, and other issues plaguing the farming community. They called for President Emmanuel Macron to resign. The protest resulted in minimal conflict other than a few clashes with police that were inside the fair. So far, an eyewitness has reported that at least one protestor has been arrested.

This agricultural fair isn’t just any old fair. Reuters reports that this fair generally attracts around 600,000 visitors and lasts nine days. This fair is important in showcasing France’s expansive farming community. According to Climate Score Card, France is actually one of the largest producers of farming products in the European Union. Ahead of other countries like Spain and Italy, France consists of about 18 percent of the EU’s agricultural production. With about 49 percent of the country being arable land, this puts into perspective the farmer’s protest.

This issue has escalated in part because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AP News reports that this conflict was a major factor in causing economic shocks and price increases. This, alongside increasing climate change and a push for more sustainable farming practices, has caused farmers to be stuck in a difficult place between adequate production and the survival of their families. As a result of these issues, farmers cannot compete with cheaper imports that companies have been favoring over costly domestic products. 

All these complaints came to a boil at Saturday’s fair. The Guardian reports that before the fair, President Macron was meeting with French farmers’ union leaders for breakfast and planned to visit the fair afterward. He ended up canceling a debate planned for that day because farmers’ unions said that they would not show up. 

Macron was able to sit down with a few protesters where he promised that he would implement price floors and that there would be an emergency plan that would be put in place to aid farms that have been struggling the most, reports the AP News.

French farmers are not the only ones protesting these issues. Many different demonstrations have been going on across Europe. According to CNN, farmers in Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands have also been asking for better legislation to support struggling farmers. Across Europe, these farmers have primarily been using farming equipment to block roads as a sign of protest. In each country, the grievances include the cost of transportation, fertilizer, and energy.

The question is: What will governments do about this? CNN covered this too. Currently, some legislation is trying to provide aid to farmers in any way they can, but many European far-right parties are trying to make gains in elections. This has already been seen in Germany with the far-right political party Alternative for Germany getting involved in protests to gain voters. 

These issues will not be solved overnight especially while the Russia-Ukraine war is affecting European farmers so heavily. As of now, farmers can only hope that they will receive government aid and that their governments will relieve the strictest policies.