I don't know if these links will work in the U.S., but I'll post them anyway. Everything in France right now is about the country's farmers protesting government agricultural policies by driving their tractors and harvesters on the main roads (autoroutes) around Paris and other major cities to tie up traffic. Here's a link to an article and video in English on the France 24 news channel.
I went to the supermarket yesterday morning and got caught up in a demonstration by farmers driving their tractors across the bridge from Saint-Aignan over to Noyers-sur-Cher, where there's a big traffic circle and an Intermarché store. There were a dozen or more gendarmes around the traffic circle and there 20 to 30 farmers driving their tractors across the bridge to slow down car traffic and express their anger about reforms and new laws the government has imposed on them. Here's a link to a report and video in French on France 24.
You'd probably prefer not to be behind one of these slow-moving engins (a generic term for farm equipment in France) on a main highway, or have one coming at you on a narrow bridge or country lane.
I went to the supermarket yesterday morning and got caught up in a demonstration by farmers driving their tractors across the bridge from Saint-Aignan over to Noyers-sur-Cher, where there's a big traffic circle and an Intermarché store. There were a dozen or more gendarmes around the traffic circle and there 20 to 30 farmers driving their tractors across the bridge to slow down car traffic and express their anger about reforms and new laws the government has imposed on them. Here's a link to a report and video in French on France 24.
You'd probably prefer not to be behind one of these slow-moving engins (a generic term for farm equipment in France) on a main highway, or have one coming at you on a narrow bridge or country lane.
Here's an excerpt from an article published this morning in our regional newspaper:
...des centaines d’agriculteurs barrent depuis lundi huit grands axes autoroutiers desservant Paris, pour continuer à mettre la pression sur le gouvernement de Gabriel Attal. Sur certains points de blocage, les agriculteurs se sont organisés pour tenir jusqu’à jeudi, avec tours de garde et renforts prévus mardi.
Tout autour de Paris, la circulation est fortement perturbée avec des portions fermées à quelques dizaines de kilomètres de la capitale, selon le site Sytadin. Paris elle-même n’est pas bloquée, ni le marché vital de Rungis (Val-de-Marne) et les aéroports parisiens.
Le gouvernement laisse faire et encadre les manifestants, mais veut empêcher que les tracteurs n’entrent dans «Paris et les grandes villes», le ministre de l'Intérieur Gérald Darmanin demandant de la «modération» à ses troupes.
Le reste de la France, lui aussi, connaît des barrages et manifestations, comme à Lyon. Une source policière a compté plus de 3.000 agriculteurs mobilisés lundi dans tout le pays, avec près de 2.000 engins. Un tiers est dans le Sud-Ouest.
Here's a Google translation of the article excerpt in the post above:
ReplyDelete...hundreds of farmers have been blocking eight major highways serving Paris since Monday, to continue to put pressure on the government of Gabriel Attal. At certain blockage points, farmers have organized themselves to hold out until Thursday, with guard tours and reinforcements planned for Tuesday.
All around Paris, traffic is severely disrupted with portions closed a few dozen kilometers from the capital, according to the Sytadin website. Paris itself is not blocked, nor the vital market of Rungis (Val-de-Marne) and the Paris airports.
The government lets it happen and supervises the demonstrators, but wants to prevent tractors from entering “Paris and the big cities”, with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin asking for “moderation” from his troops.
The rest of France is also experiencing blockades and demonstrations, like in Lyon. A police source counted more than 3,000 farmers mobilized Monday across the country, with nearly 2,000 machines. A third is in the South-West.
Farmers have to make a decent living.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difficult life it is to be a family farmer.
ReplyDeleteYes, Judy, especially after I read that France is allowing Brazil and New Zealand to send milk into France to compete with French farmers who have strict regulations and lots of paperwork that other countries avoid (Just one of their grievances).
DeleteAfter your mention of the farmer's strike yesterday I researched the article that I had only seen the headlines in the NYT. After a few more articles from France, I gave a brief review of the concerns of the 'Agriculteurs' to my french zoom group. Only one was aware of the situation. She gave her two cents and I spoke about your concerns how much produce would be available when you went to the market yesterday. Yellow bonnets and manure on a public building! They are trying to get the attention of Macron and in my opinion, doing a good job. As you say, though, I was surprised to learn even in your provincial locale, you had to deal with tractors on a narrow bridge.
ReplyDeleteOver at Intermarché yesterday morning, there were big crews working to re-stock the shelves throughout the store. I can imagine that deliveries to the store were held up for a few days and came in late, thus the rush to re-stock. The produce section was pretty sad looking, over all. The fruits and vegetables had been sitting there too long. Despite all that, I got the things I wanted and then some. The store was nearly empty of customers.
DeleteSo sad to see one of the best things about Europeans that I try to emulate: fresh produce and picky customers who care about what they eat and where it comes from (local is a priority as I remember when I was a resident). To not have fresh produce available must be heartbreaking especially in late January when even gardeners are in the same boat. Your comments remind me of covid - times here in US although I didn't really have any problems with empty store shelves and low-stock items weren't really food related more of the antiseptic variety.
ReplyDeleteThat was me(Mary in Oregon) - I forgot to scroll down from Anonymous!
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