French farmers stage new Paris protest against EU-Mercosur trade deal

French farmers have driven hundreds of tractors into Paris in a renewed protest against an EU-Mercosur trade agreement they say threatens domestic agriculture by allowing cheaper South American imports.

The demonstration on Tuesday was the second in a week and was organised by the FNSEA, one of France’s largest farming unions.

Protesters gathered around the National Assembly and near the Arc de Triomphe, with police estimating that about 350 tractors took part.

Farmers in France, the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer, and in other EU states have been protesting for months against the Mercosur deal, as well as over wider concerns about prices, standards and competition.

Another farmers’ group, the Coordination Rurale, staged a surprise protest last Thursday, bringing tractors beneath the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

Damien Greffin, vice-president of the FNSEA and head of the union in the Paris region, said the agreement would allow imports of goods that French farmers could already produce but under stricter rules.

"The Mercosur agreement was approved even though the European Parliament has not yet had its say," he said. "This will lead to imports that do not respect the standards imposed on French farming."

He warned that imports of products such as beef, ethanol, sugar and alcohol from countries including Argentina and Brazil could undermine France’s agricultural capacity.

"When we close our sugar refineries and slaughterhouses, we may one day realise we can no longer feed the French people," Greffin said. "This is a fight for farmers, but also for society as a whole."

Greffin added that farmers were planning another demonstration at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 20 January.

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The protests come after most EU member states approved the Mercosur deal last Friday, despite opposition from France. The decision has increased pressure on the French government from farmers and opposition parties, some of which have submitted no-confidence motions.

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