In January 2024, the farming community was on fire, protesting against their living and working conditions. Despite several mobilizations over the year, the farmers ' situation has not changed, and two unions are calling for a resumption of the strike this Sunday, January 5, 2025, by blocking all major routes serving the capital, if the government fails to react.
They hope"to have a very quick meeting with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture in order to find solutions to a number of problems specific to France", the FNSEA/Young Farmers alliance told FranceInfo.
For the moment,"we're not talking about blocking Paris, but about moving towards Paris", warns Patrick Legras, spokesman for the Coordination rurale. It remains to be seen how widespread the movement will be, as numerous disruptions are expected on the freeways leading to Paris, especially as this Sunday, January 5 is a day for returning from vacation and the eve of the start of the new school year in the Paris region.
Could the blockade last longer? For the moment, those who launched the movement, notably Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, a woolly pig farmer in the Tarn-et-Garonne region, remain vague:"as for what's next, we'll see once we get there". Among other things, Coordination rurale is calling for an "end to the over-transposition of standards" and recognition of a"French agricultural exception".
Without any proposals from the government, farmers' anger could well flare up again, with the creation of new blockades and long-term escargot operations, as last year, notably on the Paris ring road.
