Fire week in France and for the government of Emmanuel Macron. Since last Monday the farmers French people took to the streets again to shout their discontent and to denounce the prospect of a trade agreement between the European Union and the Latin American countries gathered in Mercosur.
Already tested by a year marked by bad weather and the suspension of the law on agricultural orientation, French farmers, and more particularly breedersdenounce what they consider to be a unfair competition compared to large South American agricultural companies, which benefit from much lower production costs and less stringent environmental standards.
French agricultural unions fear the reduction of customs tariffs on beef, poultry, sugar, which would put community production at risk in the face of South American giants. On health regulations in the EU the danger would instead come from the use of antibiotics and pesticides prohibited in Europe but widely used in Latin America. There mobilization it began massively in over one hundred French departments with motorway blockades, slowdowns in car traffic, roundabouts blocked by tractors and fires set on the roads.
From Buenos Aires where he met the President of Argentina Javier Milei, the President of the French Republic tried to calm the soul stating that France will not “sign as is” the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, saying it wants to “reassure farmers” and “continue” to oppose it. But farmers have been doing it for more than a year they no longer believe his promises. Especially since Paris is not able to block the signing of the agreement on its own, which the European Commission and other large European countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain are in favor of.
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