Farmers' anger: a blockade of Paris and Rungis on Monday, risk of shortages?

Following farmers' anger in Germany, the farming community in France has also been set ablaze, protesting against the living and working conditions of these workers of the soil. On Friday, the Île-de-France branches of the majority FNSEA and Jeunes agriculteurs unions called for a blockade of Paris, pending a speech by the new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. For many of them, the measures were not up to scratch, and the mobilization continues, with the desire for a"siege of the capital for an indefinite period" starting this Monday, January 29, 2024, at 2pm.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of December 23 - 29, 2024 in Paris: free or cheap outings
• What to do in Paris in December 2024? Discover this month's events in the Paris Region
• New Year's Eve 2024-2025 in Paris: December 31, 2024 parties by arrondissement

For its part, the Coordination rurale du Lot-et-Garonne has announced its intention to block the Rungis market, which could have a major impact on supplies to restaurants in the Paris region, as well as supermarkets, and create shortages. The farmers are ready to blockade Paris and the inner suburbs, and prefer to change their method after the Minister's inadequate proposals. Their aim is to keep trucks out of Paris for five days.

Over the weekend, the blockades had been lifted to allow farmers to rest, reconnect with their families and tend to their farms. But Maxime Buizard, national administrator of the Jeunes agriculteurs, assured BFMTV that"what will be put in place next week will be much finer and stronger","to make Parisians understand that they need farmers to live and that the capital is not self-sufficient".

According to Le Parisien, blockades are planned on all the major highways serving Paris, including theA13, A1, A4 and A6. If the mobilization is not sufficient, farmers are not ruling out blocking the ring road with"ten tractors at each exit".